You Won't Feel A Thing
by ifyouevercomebackx
Summary: Sometimes, all we need is a best friend. NILEY.
1. Chapter 1

"COME ON, WORK FASTER!"

Miley was getting frustrated. The painters were working far slower than anticipated. The electricians had rescheduled about three times on her. The plumbers hadn't showed up at all yet. Half of the furniture hadn't arrived and it had been due to be delivered three days previously. She had a pile of paperwork to go through. There was so much to do before the opening of her new hotel in a few weeks.

One of the painters looked up at her from his work. He was painting the storage space for the room keys behind the counter white for her. "Ma'am, do you mind if I just run out to the van to get something?" He was clearly scared that she'd blow up at him for even daring to ask.

"Be quick," she snapped as she flicked through some paperwork that her lawyer had dropped off earlier in the afternoon.

She heard someone knock on the French doors that led into the building. She looked up and saw her best friend, Nick, standing there, looking at her with a smirk playing on his lips. She walked over and smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"What, a guy can't visit his best friend now?" he joked.

She glared over at the two other painters. Their radio was blaring and they were talking loudly to each other.

"Come into the office," she said. She led him behind the counter, through the back room and into her office. She closed the door and turned to Nick.

"Anyway, what's up?" she asked.

"I just came to talk to you. We haven't properly talked in a while, Mi. I miss you," he said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his dress pants.

She smiled softly. "You never come to see me during work hours. Something's clearly wrong. What's up?" She hesitated. "Did something happen with you and Selena?" she asked.

He remained silent. He looked out the bay window behind her desk and sighed. He then turned to look at her with a look of despair on his face. He bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling before finally looking back at Miley.

"Sel wants a baby."

Miley raised her eyebrows slightly. "Oh."

Nick chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. She isn't really the ... maternal type," he said.

"I was thinking more along the lines of, I don't know, her being a bit of a dragon when it comes to kids. Don't get me wrong, Nick, I love the girl. But she's a bit angry with kids. You know her. She hates mess and noise and basically all the things that come with a child," Miley said.

Nick nodded. "I know, that's what I thought too." He paused. "I don't know if we're ready for a kid. We got married pretty young. I'm only twenty-five. I have plenty of time for kids. Like, we don't know where we're heading in the future. For all we know, one of us could get transferred. I don't want to have to up and move when we've got a baby. It isn't fair on the kid. I never wanted kids until I was sure that I was where I was supposed to be."

"Mm ... I guess I can see where she's coming from, though. You've been married, what, three years? I guess a baby is the next step for her. You know, start a family with her husband. It's natural, Nick," Miley said, sitting on the edge of her desk.

"She wants to start a family? I'll buy her a puppy."

"Now now, no need to be insensitive."

"I'm not ready for a freaking baby, Mi. I can barely take care of myself, let alone a child. I'm just ... I'm not _emotionally _ready either. I never saw myself with kids until I was at least thirty. Now Selena's got this idea in her head."

Miley smiled softly. "You can't expect her to wait that long for a baby, Nick. She's found the man that she wants to spend the rest of her life with. She clearly wants to start a family with you. I don't know ... Maybe she just wants someone to care for. Someone to love her unconditionally."

"Like I said, I'll buy her a freaking puppy."

"Nick."

"That's my name."

"Don't be ridiculous. A dog isn't the same as a child," she said.

Nick ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "She just kept on insisting that it's what we need to like mature our marriage or something. She thinks we should move out of the apartment and into a house. She wants kids in one of those neighbourhoods with the perfect lawn and the perfect everything. I'm not ready for any of that yet. I'm happy in my apartment with my wife. We don't _need _kids yet," he said.

Miley put a hand on Nick's arm. "Shouldn't you be telling your wife all this?"

Nick snorted. "Selena's hardly going to listen. She didn't before. She made it all into this big fight last night when I said I wasn't ready for a kid. Then she just stormed out of the apartment like the whole thing was my fault. She's the one that wouldn't accept that I'm not ready for a baby."

Miley sighed. Nick had always had a temper. He could never handle an argument quietly. He always had to either hit someone or rant about it to someone. The someone that he ranted to was usually Miley. She'd heard it all over the years since he had started dating – cheating, dissolving feelings, clingy girlfriends, pregnancy scares. He had pretty much experienced every problem in a relationship imaginable (he had been in his fair share of relationships over high school and college). Luckily she knew just how to handle Nick when he was upset or worried about something.

"Okay, here's what you're going to do. You're going to go down the street and get a drink to calm yourself down. You're going to think this all through and decide what _you_ want. Forget what Selena or me or anybody else thinks. Make sure you're completely calm. Go back to work. Go home and talk to Selena calmly and reasonably. Hear what she has to say and explain how you feel about the situation. Handle things without a fight. Come to some sort of understanding. You and Selena will be just fine," she said.

Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Miley pointed to the door.

"Do as I say, Nicholas, or else I will hurt you so badly that you and Selena won't even have the chance to have a freaking child," she growled.

Nick nodded, slightly scared of his friend, and walked out the door quickly.

That night, Miley walked into Joe and Demi's apartment for their housewarming party. She saw Demi and walked over to hug her. She had not seen her in ages, since before Demi and Joe had gone away to Paris for a week.

"Miley! I'm so glad you made it. Joe was convinced that you wouldn't come with all the work you have to do at the hotel," Demi said with a smile on her face.

Miley smiled back. "I nearly didn't! But I made a decision to come here and so I took the night off. I thought that Mandy could handle the painters for one night until they leave. What harm will it do?" she said with a small laugh. She looked around and smiled again. "This is a really nice place, Dem."

Demi looked around, the smile never leaving her face. "We signed the lease before we left for Paris."

Miley smiled once again, but this time she was grinning. "Joe told me that he proposed. I'm so happy for you, Dem!" she exclaimed. She hugged Demi again. She truly was happy that two of her best friends were getting married.

"Thanks, Miley. I know a lot of people say this, but I was totally shocked. Like, you know Joe. He's not really big on commitment. I was happy he even agreed for us to find a place together. Then he proposed on vacation. Oh God, Miles, it was amazing," Demi said, over the moon.

"Like I said, I'm really happy for you two. You have to tell me about the proposal some time. Listen, I'll talk to you later, okay? There's somebody I want to talk to," Miley said. She gave Demi a final quick hug and made her way directly to Nick. She poked him playfully in the back.

He turned around and smiled. "Hey, Mi." He hugged her and looked at her. "What's up?"

"Not much. Just wondering how things went with Selena," she said casually.

Nick sighed and glanced over at his wife, who was in the kitchen, chatting away to Joe. "She's beyond pissed that I don't want a kid just yet. She said something about never knowing what will happen in the future and when she won't be able to have kids or something so we should get started while we're young. It got pretty emotional on her end," he said.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Nick," Miley said. She smiled sympathetically and patted his shoulder. "Look on the bright side."

"What bright side?" Nick asked, eyebrows raised.

"I don't know, I was hoping you'd tell me," Miley replied, a smile playing on her lips. She knew that one would cheer him up.

Nick chuckled. "Nice one." He glanced at Selena again. "Could you do me a favour?"

Miley looked at him and immediately knew what he wanted. "No no no. Selena is your wife. I refuse to get caught up in your baby drama with her. If you want to sort this out then sort it out yourself, but I am not getting caught in the middle," she said.

"Please, Mi. Just tell her that having a baby is a terrible idea and that you don't think either of us is ready for that kind of commitment," he pleaded.

Miley snorted. "Nicholas, you're married. I think you went past commitment when you stood at that altar with her," she teased.

Nick rolled his eyes. "This isn't the time for your jokes. Please, Miley. She isn't listening to me. She thinks so much of your opinion. You're like one of her best friends. If you just say that I mentioned what happened and that you agree with me, she'll think of dropping the topic, at least for a couple more years," he said.

"No. I am not getting involved. I'm not going to stick my opinion in – an opinion which you, may I add, have decided for me – when nobody even asked for it," she said.

Nick smiled cheekily. "I asked for it," he said.

Miley shoved him. "Shut up. Anyway, I'm not getting involved or taking sides. You both are good friends to me. I'm not taking either your side or hers. I'm neutral." She thought for a moment and smirked. "I'm like Switzerland."

"Mi, no matter how many times you say the Switzerland thing, it will never be your own original line," Nick said with a slight smile. "Anyway, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate. I just need her to understand that I'm not ready yet," he continued.

Miley hesitated, then sighed. "I'll talk to her, but I'm not taking sides. I'll explain your situation, but that's it. No false opinions, no sticking my nose in. I'll tell her how you feel about it and that's that," she said. "Oh, and you owe me for this."

Nick grinned and hugged her. "This is why you're my best friend."

Miley smiled and pushed him away. "Yeah yeah, sure it is." She grinned at him and then walked towards Selena. "Sel? Can I talk to you in private for a minute?"

Selena said something to Joe, who walked away, then turned to Miley. "Hey, Miles. What's up?"

"Nick told me about the whole baby thing," Miley said softly.

"Did he now," Selena said. She pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest. "I take it he sent you over here to talk me round then? I wouldn't surprised. Anything so that the man won't have to suck it up and talk to me himself."

"Hey hey. He's just as annoyed as you are right now. Look, Sel, he isn't ready for a kid yet. You know Nick. He's a decent guy. He wouldn't say any of this if he didn't mean it. He can barely look after himself, never mind a kid."

Selena rolled her eyes. "And what about me? What about what I want? You can tell Nicholas over there that we'll talk about this when he gets home." Selena then turned around and walked away, blatantly annoyed.

Miley raised her eyebrows. She turned and walked back to Nick. "She said she'll talk about it when you get home. I have a feeling she's kind of pissed off with you, so be gentle."

"She's the one who started this whole thing."

"Hey, don't put the blame on her. Nobody's in the wrong here. You just have different opinions on the situation at hand." Miley sighed. "I think I need a drink after that. She's a feisty one."

"She's that alright."

Nick and Miley walked into the kitchen. Joe came over, smiling.

"Hey, guys. You two having fun?"

"Yeah. Nice place, Joe." Nick picked up a beer and hesitated. "Joe, have you seen Selena? Her and I need to talk about something."

"She's down the hall, checking out the spare room, I think," Joe said.

"Thanks."

Miley caught Nick's arm. "No. She won't want to talk about this at a party. Wait until you get home tonight. Don't get in a fight here. Relax, okay? Just enjoy yourself tonight and fix this with Sel when you get home."

"Mi, I need to -"

"You don't need to do anything. Bringing it up now will just upset her and annoy her even more. Trust me, I know Selena. She won't want to talk about this at a party filled with her friends. She won't want to cause a scene. Just leave it until you get home."

Nick took a sip of his beer. "You better be right," he muttered.

Miley smirked. "I always am."

Nick chuckled and led Miley into the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled Miley down to sit beside him.

"I have a date tomorrow night," she said. She smiled to herself and started playing with the hem of her dress.

Nick grinned and nudged his best friend. "What's his name?"

"Uh, Jake."

Nick's face fell. "As in high school Jake? Cheating Jake? Lying asshole Jake?"

"Yeah, him."

"You're seriously going back there? Miley, he broke your heart back in high school. How can you be willing to go on a date with him?"

"He's back in town and asked if I wanted to go out on a date. What was I supposed to say?"

"Maybe try the word 'no'?"

"Nick, he isn't such a bad guy anymore. He's changed."

Nick snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure. Guys like him never change."

"You did," she retorted.

"That isn't fair. I never cheated on any of my girlfriends. I never left any of them alone at some party to go and get drunk with the football team. I never got another girl _pregnant_ when I was telling my girlfriend I loved her."

"If you can change, so can Jake. Anyway, this isn't high school anymore. He's mature now," she defended.

"Miley, you know that this isn't a good idea," Nick said softly.

"I'll be the judge of that, thank you." Her voice was sharp and cold. "If you're allowed to settle down with Selena then I should be allowed to find someone who I want to settle down with too."

"Yes, you should. Just anybody but Jake."

Miley turned to look at him. "What's your problem with him?"

He ignored her question. "Miley, you've been my best friend for years, okay? I'm going to look out for you. I had to pick up the pieces when he cheated on you over and over again. I was there. I saw what it did to you. I don't want him to put you back in that position."

"I'm a big girl now," Miley said, smiling softly.

"Maybe so, but you can't control what a man does. Guys like him don't think with their brains," he replied.

Miley finished her drink and looked at Nick with raised eyebrows. "Did you when you were a teenager? He was a kid, Nick. He wasn't ready for commitment."

"He should have thought of that before he committed himself to a relationship at fourteen," he grumbled back in response.

Miley smiled. "Nick, drop it. He was a kid and he made mistakes. I'm going out to dinner with Jake tomorrow night and that's final. I don't want to hear another bad word about it, okay? You're my best friend. I'd appreciate your support."

"Fine. Doesn't mean I approve, though," he warned.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

Demi came over and flopped down between the two of them.

"Hey, Miles, you up for lunch some time next week? You, me, Sel and Tay."

"Yeah, sure. Just text me when and where and I'll be there," Miley said.

Demi grinned. "Good." She turned to Nick and ruffled his curls. "Hey, mister. Sel told me about your little dilemma. Why don't you just agree with her to shut her up? You know how she gets when she's pissed off."

"I'm not going to have a baby with her just to avoid pissing her off. I'm not ready for a child."

"Nicholas, you married when you were twenty-two. I get the vibe that you two are a mature couple. You can adapt."

"I don't want a freaking baby."

Demi ignored his statement. "You've been married three years and she still hasn't got a bun in the oven."

"So?"

"Get to work, Nicholas."

"Shut up, Demetria. Stop worrying about my wife and her baby issues and go sort your own out with Joe."

Miley smiled at her friends. They were always bickering about pointless things. She supposed that it was one of the reasons she loved them.

A few hours later, Miley walked into her small house. She put her keys down on the table to the left of the door and hung her coat up on the hook. She then walked further into the house and into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to think.

There was so much work to do before the grand opening of her new hotel. She had decided on a name the previous week – The Rosewood Inn. She just didn't know if she had enough time to finish everything.

Suddenly, the doorbell went. Miley stood up and walked out to the front door. She opened it and saw Nick standing there. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and his tie was loose. His hair was a mess. His shirt was untucked. He looked stressed and tired.

"Can I stay here?" he asked quietly.

Miley didn't need to hear anything else. She opened the door and let him in. She didn't need to know what happened or why he was so stressed. All she knew was that he was her best friend and she was going to help him when he needed her.

**just something i started writing. leave a review if you want :) kind of crappy, i know, but it will get better. it was just like introducing the characters and their issues and stuff.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Miley handed Nick his coffee cup and sat down across from the table. He was silent. All he did was stare at the coffee as he slowly stirred in his milk. He seemed to be in a trance. He was starting to worry her.

Miley bit her lip and took the teaspoon from him gently.

"What happened?"

Nick remained silent. After a few moments, he looked up at her. He looked exhausted from what Miley assumed was a big argument with Selena.

"She told me she needed a night alone. She shoved me out the door. She didn't let me pack a bag or anything ... She said she might not be there when I go back in the morning," he said, his voice hoarse. He sounded as though he had been yelling a lot.

Miley pursed her lips, disappointed with Selena's behaviour. Sure, Nick didn't want a baby just yet. That didn't give Selena the right to treat him like dirt. Miley then pushed her personal opinions on the matter aside and looked at Nick. She reached out her hand and covered his. "Want to talk about it?"

He hesitated, then spoke. "We got home and she just sat there at the table. She kept staring at me like she hated me. I said to her that I wasn't ready. She just went ... crazy. She started yelling about how selfish I am and how I never consider what she wants. She started yelling about all this stuff from college, like Carolyn and Jessie, so then we had this big fight. Then she told me to go and she said she might go stay with her mom for a while and she might not be there tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Nick." She touched his arm and put on a smile for him, to give him some positivity. "You can stay here as long as you want." When he didn't answer her, she thought for a moment. "Okay. Tell you what. Tomorrow night, we'll all go out. You, me, Demi, Joe and Kevin. Take your mind off the whole Selena thing."

"You have your date tomorrow night."

"I can rearrange that."

Nick smiled slightly. "I appreciate that, Mi, I really do, but I know you were looking forward to going out with Jake. No matter how much I dislike him, I couldn't ask you to change your plans for me." He paused. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, if you're sure. Like I said, you can stay here as long as you want."

"Thanks, Mi."

He rubbed his forehead with his right hand and closed his eyes. "She can be so stubborn sometimes," he muttered to himself.

"Don't worry yourself about it. She just wants to start a family with you. You should be flattered. Just give her time to let off steam." Miley stood up and grabbed her phone off the table. "I'm heading to bed. You know where I am if you need anything."

Nick smiled again at her. "Thanks again, Miles." He stood up and headed towards the living room.

Miley walked into her bedroom and headed straight for the closet. She grabbed a spare blanket off the shelf and grabbed one of her extra pillows. She then walked back down the hallway and into the living room to find Nick sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He looked up when he realised she was there.

"Thanks," he muttered as she tossed the blanket and pillow to him.

Miley hesitated, then sat down beside him. "Selena and you are going to be fine, you know. You two are always arguing and you've always made it through okay. You and her will be back to normal in no time," she comforted.

Nick smiled softly at her. "You really are a good friend," he said softly.

Miley didn't say anything. She instead smiled back at him and looked at the clock. It was almost one o'clock.

"You got work tomorrow?"

"No."

"Right, you can come with me then. I need some things moved around in the office and some bits and pieces done. You can help me out."

It was less of a suggestion and more of an order. Nick smiled at the bossy attitude of his friend and nodded.

"Sounds good," he said.

Miley smiled at him and stood up to go to her bedroom. As she walked out of the room, she turned around and looked at him again.

"Oh, and Nick?" He looked up at her from the couch. "It's okay to be upset over what happened with you and Selena," she said softly.

His worried, stressed expression softened at her words. He smiled up at her and started to unfold the blanket. He put the pillow at the end of the couch and lay down on it, throwing the blanket over himself.

"Goodnight," he said to her.

Miley smiled in return and walked to her bedroom. After she had changed and brushed her teeth, she lay in bed and thought about Nick. She couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. His wife had kicked him out for a pretty stupid reason and chances were that she wouldn't be there when he got back.

But what could she do to help? It wasn't like she could change his opinions on having a child. It wasn't like she could make Selena calm down or wait a few years. There was nothing Miley could do to help except offer Nick the spot on her living room couch.

The following morning, Nick walked into the kitchen to see Miley drinking coffee at the sink as she looked out the window at her small backyard. When she heard his feet padding along the wooden floor of the living room and into the tiled kitchen, she turned and smiled.

"Sleep well?" she asked.

"Not really," he grumbled.

She smiled at him sympathetically. "It will be okay," she said.

He sighed. If she said that one more time, he was going to strangle her. He got a cup out of her cupboard and filled it with coffee from her coffee maker on the counter. He turned and looked at her.

"What do you need done at the hotel today?" he asked as he drank his coffee.

"Like I said, just move some things around in the office. You can help me in the restaurant as well. They finished painting in there the other day and the furniture for it arrived yesterday. You can help me move around the tables and set the places," she replied.

Nick nodded. He finished his coffee and put the cup in the sink.

"Thanks for letting me stay. I'm going to head home and have a shower and get dressed. I'll meet you over there in about an hour," he said.

"Okay. See you soon," she said.

Nick leaned over and hugged her. "Thanks, Mi. You're a really good friend," he whispered to her.

Miley smiled to herself and ruffled his curls when he pulled back. "You're not so bad yourself," she teased.

Nick grinned at her and turned to walk through the French doors into the living room. He pulled on his dress pants from the night before as well as his shirt and tie and walked towards the door.

"See you later!" Miley called after him.

Nick lifted his hand and waved at her over his shoulder before walking out of her house. He walked down her steps and over to his Mercedes in her driveway. He unlocked the car and got in.

For a moment, he just sat in the car in silence. He couldn't believe that Selena was angry at him for something as silly as not being ready for a kid. He didn't understand why it had to be a big fight between them. He didn't understand why they couldn't have talked about it and settled it calmly and rationally like adults.

He leaned his head back onto the leather headrest and closed his eyes. He had no idea what was going through Selena's mind.

He then opened his eyes and started up the car. He reversed out of the driveway and started driving down the street. In his rear view mirror, he swore he saw Miley watching him out her living room window with a worried expression.

When he arrived at the apartment building, he saw that Selena's car was still parked where it had been the night before. He smiled to himself. That had to be a good sign, right? He grabbed his keys and phone and then jogged across the street to the building.

He rushed up the stairs to their first floor apartment. He then fumbled with the keys, trying get in as quickly as possible to talk things trough with Selena. When he finally unlocked the door, he wasn't happy with what he saw.

Selena was walking out of the bedroom with her suitcase.

She froze when she saw him. She put down her suitcase and rolled in her lips.

"Nick," she murmured.

Nick glanced from Selena to the suitcase then stepped into the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you I might be going to my mom's for a while to clear my head," she replied quietly.

"And you actually decided to go?"

"Why not?"

"Because you have a life here, Selena, that's why. You have me, your job, your friends." He paused. "What am I supposed to do?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You'll think of something. You always do." She hesitated, a look of hostility on her face. "You got us into this mess. If you didn't freak out about me wanting a baby then we would be perfectly happy right now," she said coldly.

Anger bubbled inside of Nick. All thoughts of trying to make up with her left his mind. "Don't even turn this around on me. You were fine with it just being you and me until you saw your sister and her kids at your mom's that weekend for your birthday." He stepped closer to her. "You don't really want a kid. You like the _idea _of a kid. But once that kid comes along, you'll be complaining and bitching from the start."

She lifted a hand to slap him but he grabbed her wrist and gently put her arm back to her side. He smiled at her.

"Don't hit me. You know it's true."

"Why are you being so hurtful?" she whispered.

"Hurtful? Selena, you threw me out of our damn apartment when I said I wasn't ready for a baby yet. You're the one that's leaving to stay with your mom to 'clear your head'." He shook his head. "And you have the nerve to call _me _hurtful."

She raised her voice in anger. "You're so freaking hard to talk to. You never even listened to what I had to say last night!" she yelled.

"Jesus Christ, Selena! I damn well listened to it and you know I did. I just didn't agree!" he yelled back.

"I can't talk to you when you're like this," she said. She picked up her suitcase and headed towards the door but Nick stood in front of her. "Move out of the way, Nicholas," she said coldly.

He shook his head and looked her in the eyes. "You tell me why you really want a baby. Right now, in this room. Tell me why you want to have a child with me," he said quietly.

The room was so quiet. The only sound was the ticking of the clock and the sound of their heavy breathing as they stared each other in the eyes. The tension in the room was unbearable. Neither of them moved. They stayed in their positions as they continued to stare at one another.

"I want a family with my husband. Is that so wrong?" she said, her voice cold and angry.

Nick laughed humourlessly. "No, you don't. I know you, Selena. If you want something as quickly as you wanted a baby, you have some sort of reason." He smirked slightly. "So go on. Tell me what your grand motive is."

Selena shook her head with tears in her eyes. "I'll call you when I'm ready to come home," she said. She looked at him. "Or maybe you can call me when you're ready to talk like an adult about this." She picked up her suitcase and handbag and walked out of the apartment.

Nick stood there alone in the silent apart, frustrated with himself for making everything worse. Tears came to his eyes. He shook his head. Suddenly, he yelled with frustration and punched the wall.

That day, for the first time in years, Nick began to cry for what he had done.

About an hour later, Nick walked into Miley's hotel. He looked around at the finished lilac walls and the furniture over in the corner. Miley walked out from the back room and around the counter.

She smiled at him, then saw his expression and her smile dropped. "What's wrong?" she asked, hugging him.

"She left," he whispered.

Miley's mouth opened in shock. "Come on, sweetie," she said. She led him over to the bay window over by the front door and sat him down on the window seat. "What happened?" she asked.

He shrugged. "We had a fight. It was bad. She was heading out to her mom's but I stopped her. Then we were fighting and she just left," he replied, his voice quiet, almost a whisper.

Miley put a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, sweetie," she said softly.

Nick took a deep breath and stood up. "It's okay." He looked around. "What do you need done?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Miley hesitated. "Are you sure you're up to it, Nick?"

Nick put on a smile and looked at Miley. "I'll be fine. I need to take my mind off Sel," he replied. He gave Miley a quick hug. "Thanks, Mi," he said. It felt as though he'd said those words too many times in the last few hours.

"Okay," Miley said, doubtful. She led him into the dining room. "The paint in the lobby is still drying, so I was thinking that we could get started in here. If you could just move around some tables and stuff, that would be great."

Hours later, the decorators had left and the tables and chairs were all set up in the dining room. Nick and Miley were standing together in the lobby and getting ready to go.

"Have a good date tonight with ... you know, Jake."

"It's okay to say his name. It isn't, like, cursed or anything."

"I don't like saying the name of an ass."

"Nicholas."

"Fine, fine, I'll be nice. Like I said, have a good date."

"I'll call you when I get home. Tell you all about it."

Nick chuckled and gave Miley a hug. "I'll pass on hearing all the gory details, thanks." He took a step back and headed towards the door. "But call me tonight anyway."

Miley nodded and waved. Nick smiled over at her and walked out the door to his car. Miley watched him through the French doors as he got into his car and drove away down the street.

Miley then checked her phone. She was already running about five or ten minutes late. She grabbed her bag off the counter and walked out onto the street. She locked the doors quickly. Soon enough, she was driving down the street to the bar she was meeting Jake at.

Moments later, Miley had pulled up outside the bar and was inside. She stood over at the bar and ordered a drink. She felt someone tap her shoulder and turned.

"Jake. Hi."

He looked different. He had cut his shaggy blonde hair to be short. He was much taller than Miley remembered. His toned chest could be seen easily through his white v-neck. He still had the same charming smile and crystal blue eyes, though.

"Hey, Miles."

"How are you?" she asked, sitting on a bar stool.

Jake sat down beside her with his beer and smiled again. "I'm good. How about you?"

Miley nodded. "I'm pretty good."

"I thought we were meeting up for dinner."

"I thought it would be more comfortable here."

"Oh, okay. I heard you're opening up a hotel a few miles from here."

Miley smiled. "Yeah, I am. Where did you hear that?"

"I was talking to your brother the other day at the park. He was there with his daughter and I was there with my niece and we got talking," Jake explained.

"Oh, that's cool. So what are you doing now?"

Jake shrugged. "Not much, really. I'm doing some theatre work right now. I gave up on the whole Hollywood thing a couple of years ago and moved on to plays and stuff," he replied.

"How's that going for you?" Miley asked.

"Honestly, I don't enjoy it at all. But what can I do? I just about graduated from high school, I didn't go to college and I'm not really good at anything else, you know? I guess I'm just stuck with acting for a while until I can find something else," he said.

"I'm sure you'll find something."

"Yeah. So have you kept in touch with anybody from high school?"

"Yeah, I have, actually. Nick, Joe, Demi, some other people. You?"

"No, I lost touch with everybody when I moved to Los Angeles. How are they doing? I meant to keep in touch but then I was so busy trying to make it that I just fell out of sync with everybody else."

"They're good. Demi and Joe are actually engaged now. They just moved in together."

"And Nick?"

Miley hesitated. She didn't really want to go into Nick's marital situation at that moment in time. She bit her lip and sighed.

"He's married to a girlfriend of his from college."

Jake chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"What?" Miley asked, confused.

"Nothing, nothing," Jake said.

"No, tell me," Miley urged, smiling slightly.

Jake sighed and smiled back at her. "It's just ... in high school, everybody thought that you and Nick would end up together, that's all. It's just a bit of a shock to hear that he married someone else."

Miley froze and stared at Jake. She had never heard anybody ever say that she and Nick would end up together ... had she? Maybe she had and she hadn't listened.

"No, Nick and I have a purely platonic relationship," she said softly.

Jake shrugged. "To everybody else, even me when we were dating, it seemed like you two would eventually end up together. Like, your chemistry together was always really intense. It was kind of intimidating to me." Jake paused, then smiled and leaned closer to Miley. "But I'm really glad you two didn't end up together," he whispered.

Before Miley knew it, Jake was kissing her. She didn't push him away. To her surprise, she was kissing him back. But even though Miley was kissing Jake, all she could think about was Nick and what Jake had said about their chemistry.

She had no idea why she was still sitting there, kissing Jake. Then she decided. She didn't have any chemistry with Nick (well, at least not any romantic or even sexual chemistry), and she was going to prove that to everybody.

**Sorry for any typos. I was a bit lazy when it came to checking over the last like half of it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Thanks to RhondaAnn1, nickandmiley3, xmileylovex and TheMsBrandy1 for your reviews. It meant a lot that you guys reviewed and gave me your opinions :) So, everyone, please try and review and tell me what you all think of the story.**


	3. Chapter 3

It was around midnight before Miley got back to her house. She had left her own car at the bar and had gotten a ride home with Jake. No worries, she thought. She would ask Demi go with her and get it the next day.

Jake walked Miley up to her door and smiled at her. She smiled back at him and bit her lip. They both watched each other. It was silent. The only noises that were heard were the crickets and their slow, steady breathing.

"It's been a while since I've walked you to your door, huh?" he said to her.

Miley blushed slightly. "Seven years," she replied.

He smiled at her again. "You remember how long it's been?" he whispered.

She nodded and stayed silent. He stared down at her, nodding his head slightly. He tilted his head slightly as he watched her. He then leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight, Miley," he whispered once he had pulled away.

"Goodnight, Jake," she whispered back.

Even though they had said goodnight, neither of them moved. They stood there on Miley's porch, simply staring at each other. Miley then reached out and took his hand. She intertwined their fingers and smiled up at him.

"Stay with me?" she whispered.

She wanted him to stay. No, she _needed_ him to stay. It was no longer about proving to everyone else that there was nothing but friendship between her and Nick (for all she knew, nobody thought that she and Nick should be together now). It was now about proving it to herself. Ever since Jake had brought it up, she couldn't stop thinking about her relationship with Nick.

"I don't know, Miles," he replied.

Miley smiled and took a step closer to him. She put a hand on his chest and rubbed a gentle circle with the pad of her thumb. "Please?" she asked, her voice still a soft whisper.

Jake sighed and smiled back at her. "Fine."

Miley bit her lip and opened the door for them. She pulled him into the house. She had barely closed the door before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. Jake wasn't complaining. He kissed her back and placed his hands on her hips.

Miley led him into the living room and pushed him down on the couch. She straddled him and continued to kiss him. She quickly got his shirt off and his jeans unbuttoned. She went to pull her own shirt off but Jake put his hands over hers and stopped her.

"Miles ... Do you not think we're moving a bit fast?"

"We've done all the getting to know each other stuff before. Let's just get down to it."

"People change over the years, Miley."

Miley got off Jake and sat down beside him. She ran a hand through her long brown hair and looked at him.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for."

"Yes I do. I was moving too fast."

"It's fine."

"No it isn't."

Jake hesitated, then took her hand in his. "Miley, is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No, why would there be something wrong?"

"You just seem kind of agitated. You were fine until we got here, then you wanted me to come inside and everything." He paused. "Is it something I said? If I offended you in any way, I'm sorry."

Miley sighed and shook her head. "No, you were great. I'm sorry. I just – You didn't – I'm fine, really. I'm just worried about the hotel and everything. I'm just feeling so pressured to get it done on time."

Lies, she thought. All of it. Every single word that had come out of her mouth was a lie. She wasn't fine. She couldn't get what Jake had said at the bar out of her head. All the memories of her and Nick had been playing over in her head. She had been looking for any reason for others to think that they had chemistry together, but all she had seen was two best friends who cared about one another. Nothing romantic, nothing sexual. Just friendship.

Jake narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her. "Miley, I was in love with you in high school. I can tell when you're lying to me," he whispered to her. He gently placed a hand on her knee. "You can tell me."

"I'm fine."

"Stop lying."

"I'm not."

"You aren't fine?"

"Don't twist my words."

Jake sighed. "Miley, this is me you're talking to. I can read you like a book." He hesitated. "Is it about what I said about you and Nick? I didn't mean to upset you."

Damnit, he really could read her like a book.

"Nope. Like I said, Jake, I'm fine."

More and more lies were coming out.

Jake smiled slightly and shook his head. "Okay, whatever."

"Jake ..."

"I get it."

"Get what?"

"You like him."

Miley froze. "I what now?"

"You like him. You always have. I saw it in high school, I see it now. Maybe I was willing to push it aside back then but not now. I'm not going to let you treat me as though you like me when it's really all about him," he replied.

"Jake, it isn't like that."

"Then what is it? Please tell me, Miley, because I'm dying to know."

"I don't like Nick."

"Then what the hell is going on with you? I mention the chemistry you used to have with him and then you just completely change. You flirt with me all night, you randomly kissed me all night, you invite me in, you try and get me to have sex with you." He shook his head in disbelief. "This isn't the Miley I know."

"I don't feel that way towards Nick, Jake. You have to believe me."

"Then how the hell do you feel?"

"I ... I don't know," she said, her voice fragile and quiet.

"Answer me one question, Miley. What was your problem when I mentioned you and him?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

"Jake ..."

"Answer me, Miley. Please."

"I ... It just caught me by surprise."

"So you acted completely differently?"

"I just ..." She looked down. "I didn't want anyone to think that I liked Nick. He's my best friend, nothing else. He's been going through a rough time lately with his wife and I've been there for him, that's all. Nick and I are just friends."

Jake smiled to himself and lifted her chin. "Miley, that was high school. You two went pretty much everywhere together. You didn't need to prove anything to anyone. I was just commenting on how you two were in high school."

Miley blushed slightly. "I overreacted, didn't I?" she whispered.

Jake chuckled. "A little. But it's okay. Really." Jake then stood up. He leaned down and placed a small kiss on her forehead. "I better get going," he said.

Miley nodded and stood up. She walked him to the door and opened it for him.

"I'll call you. We should do this again some time," he said to her.

Miley smiled. "What, have an argument about my relationship with my best friend? No thanks," she joked.

Jake grinned at her. "You know what I mean," he replied.

Miley nodded and bit her lip slightly. "Yeah. You have my number, right?"

"Yup." Jake leaned over and gave Miley a soft, lingering kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Miley," he whispered.

Miley smiled and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Jake," she whispered back.

Jake's eyes scanned her face, the smile never leaving his face. He gave her one last kiss and back away from her. He gave her a quick wave and walked over to his car. Miley waved back and watched as he drove away down the street and into the darkness.

Miley turned and went back into the house, closing the door behind her. She immediately walked down to her bedroom. She pulled off her clothes and pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and a tank top. She fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes, thinking about her date with Jake.

It felt good to see him again. Really, it did. She loved spending time with him, no matter what mistakes he made when he was a kid.

Miley took a deep breath, her mind moving onto thoughts of Nick and their 'chemistry' that Jake had been talking about.

He was right in that it was high school when people thought that, but Jake hadn't been around for years. He didn't know how people still felt. He didn't what people thought.

Miley shook her head. Nobody could still even think that she and Nick had any chemistry in that way. He was married, for Christ's sake. If they had not stopped thinking it before, they had definitely stopped thinking about it then.

She didn't even know why she was so worried about it. It wasn't like she felt anything towards him. She never had and never would ... right?

Miley groaned to herself and put her hands over her face. She had no idea what to do. She then opened her eyes and walked out of her bedroom. She found her bag on the hall table and looked through it. She found her phone and unlocked it.

Once she found the number she was looking for, she called it and put the phone to her ear. She walked back into her bedroom and sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Hello?"

"I need you."

"I'll be right there."

That's all that had to be said. Before Miley realised what was happening, the other person had hung up and she was sitting on her bed, listening to the silence on the other end.

About ten or fifteen minutes later, the doorbell went. She slowly got up from her bed and walked out to the front hall. She opened the door and saw Nick standing on her porch.

He smiled when he saw her. "You called?"

"You better come in."

Nick paused and frowned slightly. "You alright, Miles?" he asked.

She nodded and pulled him in. She closed the door and locked it behind her (she had this thing about locking the door at night in case someone came in and stole everything, no matter who was with her). She led him into the living room and sat him down on the couch.

"Miley, are you okay? You seem a bit ... stressed."

"I'm fine."

He sighed. "No you aren't. Mi, come sit down. Please. You're worrying me."

She stopped pacing and abruptly turned to look at him.

"Have you ever thought of us having ... chemistry?"

He chuckled. "Of course. You're my best friend. We're bound to have -" He then noticed the expression on her face and his mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Oh ..."

"Yeah."

"Where's this coming from?"

Miley looked at the ceiling then back at Nick. "On my date, Jake was asking how you guys were. When I said you were married, he said that in high school, everybody thought you and me had chemistry and that we'd end up together," she explained.

Nick grabbed Miley's wrist and gently pulled her down onto the couch beside him.

"Miley ... That was high school. We're adults now. Don't worry about it."

"But I can't _not_ worry about it, Nick. If people thought that back then, then ..." She trailed off.

"Then what?" he asked tentatively.

She looked up at him. "Then we must have been sending out some sort of signal."

Nick didn't reply. He instead just looked at her, not quite sure what to do or say in return.

He would never deny it. Miley was a beautiful woman, both inside and out. She was gorgeous, kind, confident, gentle, compassionate, all the good things. She had her flaws, like her constant need to be right and her perfectionism, but she was still an amazing girl. Any guy would be lucky to have her.

"Nick?"

He looked into her eyes. "What do you want me to say?"

"What do you think of this?"

"I think we're best friends."

"Don't you think that they could be on to something?"

Nick smirked. "What, do you like me or something?" he teased.

Miley's cheeks went red. "No! I just ... I've been thinking about it since Jake brought it up. Like, there must have been something that made these people think that there's something between us."

"Even if there ever was something romantic or anything between us, it's dead and gone now. I'm married to Selena. Granted, she left me to go stay with her mom, but I've still married to her. I love Selena," he said.

"Don't worry, Nick, I'm not like in love with you or anything," Miley said, smiling. "I just need to be sure that you never felt any like attraction towards me or whatever."

Nick thought. If he had, he couldn't recall it. He shook his head.

"Nope, never."

Miley smiled cheekily at him. "Gee, thanks," she teased.

He smiled back and nudged her. "You know what I mean, Mi."

She nodded. "Then where did these people get this idea that we have some sort of chemistry?"

"Just forget it, Miley. Put it to the back of your mind," Nick said, leaning back into her couch comfortably.

"I can't."

He sighed and turned to her. "Right, okay. We'll sort this out. Kiss me."

"E-Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

Nick grinned at her. "Come on, kiss me. You're so worried about this whole chemistry thing between us. Kiss me and we'll see. If we feel anything, then we'll know that those people were right. If we feel nothing, then we'll know we're better off as friends."

"Nick, you're married," Miley said, shocked.

Nick shrugged. "She's not around, is she? She left me. Miles, come on. Maybe I sounded like I don't care but I want this sorted out as much as you," he said.

Miley scrunched up her nose, thinking. On one hand, he was right. If they kissed and they felt nothing, it would all be over and they would know that there was nothing between them. But on the other hand, what if they kissed and they both felt something? Or one felt something and the other didn't? The friendship would never be the same again. She wasn't willing to risk her friendship with Nick over some stupid comment Jake made about the two of them.

"I can't ..."

"Why not?"

"Selena's my friend."

"She doesn't have to find out."

Miley bit her lip and looked into his eyes.

"And Selena definitely won't find out, right?"

Nick smirked. He was obviously about to come out with one of his smartass remarks. "I'm hardly going to tell my wife that I kissed you. You wouldn't be the only one she'd be killing if she knew."

Miley closed her eyes for a moment then scanned his face for any emotion. He didn't seem worried or upset or confused like she was. He seemed to be in a good mood, even in their current situation.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I said that, didn't I?" she snapped.

Nick smirked. "Geez, somebody's on her period."

Miley glared at him. "Let's just get this over with."

"You're the one who told me about this in the first place," he taunted.

"Shut up."

Nick smiled to himself and sat a bit closer to her. He put his hands on her hips and let her slip her arms around his neck.

"You ready?" he whispered as he leaned closer and closer.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she whispered back.

"Tell me if you feel uncomfortable."

"Just get on with it."

Nick nodded slightly, leaning in closer every second. In seconds, he was so close that she could feel his breath on her. Their noses were touching. Their lips were millimetres apart. They were just staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them moved any closer.

Suddenly, Nick leaned even closer and pressed his lips on Miley's. Almost immediately, hardly even realising it herself, she was kissing him back. His hands went from her hips to her face, cupping it and holding it in place. She started playing with the hair at nape of his neck.

When air became necessary, they both pulled away from each other.

"Feel anything?"

There was an awkward silence.

"Nope."

The biggest lie she had told all night came from her mouth.

"Me neither."

An equally large lie came from his own mouth.

"At least we know."

"Yeah, at least we know."

"I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah, I better get home."

"See you soon."

"Yeah, see you soon."

Nick stood up. Miley quickly jumped to her feet and led him out to the hall. She opened the door for him and awkwardly stood in silence with him as he looked for his keys in his pocket. When he found them, he smiled at her awkwardly.

"I'll call you soon."

"Okay. Talk to you then."

She smiled back at him. There was an awkward silence again. Neither of them moved. They just stood in her doorway, staring at each other.

"Okay, well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Nick."

Miley then closed her front door. She put a hand over her mouth and slid down the door. She sat down on the wooden floor and stared straight ahead. She then buried her face in her hands, not quite sure what to think.

On the other side of the door, Nick was standing on her porch, running his hands through his hair and staring into the darkness. He too had no idea what to think. The one thing he could think of was how amazing it had felt to have his lips on hers, to run his hands through her hair, to hold her.

That night, both of them tossed and turned in their beds. Neither of them got much sleep that night. One thing was for sure, though. They both couldn't stop thinking of each other.

**I got it out quicker this time. I had it half down by the time I posted the last chapter so I finished it off earlier and decided to post it. Again, sorry for any mistakes. Bit lazy when it came to checking it over again. Promise I'll check it over next time. Hope you enjoyed it. Leave me a review please? :) Thanks to TheMsBrandy1, xmileylovex, RhondaAnn1, xNileyxBubblesx, Nileeyfan, nickandmiley3 and Team M for your reviews :) I really appreciated them. I'll post the next chapter some time this week.**


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning, Miley was sitting at her kitchen table with her cup of coffee and her toast with marmalade spread all over it, just like she did every morning. That particular morning, however, Miley wasn't really in the mood for breakfast. She wasn't in the mood for anything, really. Her food was untouched and her coffee had gone cold. Miley didn't even care. All she could think about was what had happened with Nick the night before.

Eventually, Miley stood up from the table. She put the toast in the bin and poured the cold coffee down the sink. She quickly washed the plate and mug, dried them, then put them back in the cupboard. She looked at herself in her reflection in the window.

She had large bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep the previous night. It was half past ten and she was still in her pyjamas. Her hair was a bit of a mess. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back to the previous night for about the tenth time that morning. She still couldn't get that amazing feeling she had when he was kissing her out of her head.

She quickly brought her mind back to earth and tried to push the thought of the kiss to the back of her mind. She walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Still, she couldn't get it out of her head.

When she was dressed and her hair and make-up was done, Miley found her phone and her keys and picked up her bag. She had arranged to meet Demi for some coffee and maybe a bite to eat that afternoon. She grabbed her sunglasses off the hall table and walked out to the car.

In the coffee shop, Demi was talking away about her wedding plans. She kept on talking about what sort of flowers she wanted and possible days to go dress shopping. Miley pretended to listen, giving the odd nod of her head or a comment of approval.

After a while, Demi sighed. "And we're going to have a chicken as a flower girl."

"That's nice."

Demi gently hit Miley on the arm. "You haven't been listening to me at all, have you?"

"I've just been thinking about some other things. I'm sorry, my head's away in the clouds today. Keep talking, I'm listening now," Miley replied.

"No. You aren't. There's something on your mind. Spill it, missy," Demi said.

"There's nothing to spill."

"Clearly there is, Miley, so why don't you save us some arguing about who's right and just get this over with. What's wrong?" Demi paused. "How was your date with Jake? Is that what's wrong with you?"

Miley shook her head. She looked down at her hands. She didn't know what to tell her. She couldn't tell her about what had happened with Nick. God knows what she'd say. She'd tell her about how badly it would hurt Selena and how things like that never end well. At the same time, she couldn't lie. She and Demi had been friends since high school. She had never lied to Demi in all the years she had known her, and she wasn't going to start now.

"The date with Jake was fine."

"Then what's the matter? Come on, Miley. You can tell me."

Miley had no idea what was wrong with her. Tears stung her eyes as she thought about it all. The consequences of even slightly opening up to Demi about what had happened, what this was all doing to her, what would happen between her and Nick. It was upsetting her and she had no idea why. She then looked up at Demi and bit her lip.

"I can't."

Demi reached over the table and squeezed Miley's hand supportively. "Sure you can. We're friends, right?" When Miley stayed silent, Demi squeezed her hand again. "Come on, Miley. You're worrying me. I promise that whatever is said won't leave this room."

Miley shook her head. The tears began to fall. She had no idea why she was getting so worked up. It was just Demi she was talking to. She may as well just tell her, she thought. She trusted Demi. Demi would keep it to herself.

No. She couldn't tell a soul, no matter who it was.

"I wish I could."

Demi looked slightly scared at how worked up Miley was over the conversation.

"Miley, please. You're scaring me here." When Miley shook her head, Demi took a deep breath. "Just ... say it quickly. Like a band-aid."

Miley thought about it. She couldn't keep this a secret. She needed somebody to talk to. Demi wouldn't pass it on. Demi would give her the advice she needed. Miley let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I..." she trailed off, unable to say anything else.

"You what?" Demi asked softly.

Miley took another deep breath to calm herself down. It's now or never, she thought. She opened her eyes and looked straight at Demi. Like a band-aid, just like Demi had said.

"On the date last night, Jake said this thing about Nick and I having ... chemistry in high school. I don't really know why but it got to me. I couldn't stop thinking about where Jake could have gotten this idea that Nick and I had any sort of chemistry other than the friendly kind. So I called Nick when I got home. We talked about it all and we decided to do something to see if we felt anything and to see if the people Jake was talking about were right," Miley explained.

Demi closed her eyes. She could see what was coming. "And what did you do?" Demi asked slowly.

"We kissed," Miley whispered.

Demi bit her lip and nodded her head slightly. "And?"

Miley closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. She opened her eyes again and let out a heavy sigh. "As much as I don't want to admit it, it felt ... amazing."

"And does Nick know you felt this way?"

"No. He said he didn't feel anything."

"What did you say?"

"I lied and said the same thing."

Demi shook her head. "Why did you lie?"

"Because he's married to Selena. I can't ruin his marriage because of one little kiss," Miley said, exasperated.

Demi stayed silent for a moment. She then looked directly at Miley and spoke. "But it wasn't one little kiss, was it?" she whispered. "Here's what you're going to do. These feelings you have? Forget them. This is the last thing that you or Nick needs. You're going to push those feelings to the back of your mind and focus on this whole thing with Jake," she instructed.

Miley shook her head. "You don't understand. I can't forget it. Trust me, I've tried. I don't want to feel this way about my best friend, but I do. I would change that if I could but I can't. I just can't forget about it."

Demi nodded slowly. "Okay. Then you can be the one to tell Selena that you made out with her husband," she said simply.

Miley glared at Demi. "It wasn't like that," she said in a low voice.

Demi leaned in closer. "Then what was it, Miley? You made out with Nick. He's married to one of your best friends. I'm pretty sure that him kissing another woman is infidelity."

"You're making way too big a deal out of this. It isn't like we had sex or anything. It was a kiss. That's all," Miley said, shaking her head.

Demi smiled slightly. "These things generally lead to sex, Miley. Whether it was just a kiss or whether it was full-on sex, he still cheated on his wife with you. If you felt something in that kiss then the chances are that Nick felt it too, whether he said so or not." Demi sighed. "Miley, I love you. You know that. I'll always be there for you. But I can't just stand by and let you ruin his marriage."

"Nobody even said I was going to act on this."

"Whether you intend to or not, you probably will."

Miley shook her head. "Why are you being so harsh about this?"

Demi reached across the table to Miley and held her hand. "Because, Miley. I've seen people get involved like this before. It never ends well. I can't just watch you get hurt. I don't want this to break your heart. You've had your heart broken too many times before."

Miley stayed silent. She thought about what Demi was saying. She had a point. If Miley and Nick talked about what happened, they might evolve into something far beyond friends. If they did evolve into something more and it ended badly, Miley knew that she wouldn't be able to get through it without Nick's friendship. She knew that she'd need her best friend at a time like that, but if it was him that broke her heart then she would no longer have a best friend to go to.

When Miley didn't reply, Demi took a deep breath. "Please just think about it."

Miley nodded. She then stood and picked up her bag. "I have to get to the hotel and check how the decorators are doing. Um, I'll call you tomorrow," she said.

"Oh, okay."

Demi too stood up. She walked round the table and hugged Miley tightly. "I only say these things because I love you, Miley," she whispered in Miley's ear.

Miley pulled back and nodded. "I know. I love you too, Dem," she said. She smiled weakly at Demi and gave her another quick hug. "See you soon."

Demi nodded. Together, they walked out of the coffee shop and went their separate ways. When Miley was sure that Demi couldn't see her anymore, she stopped walking. She covered her mouth with her hand closed her eyes.

She had no idea how she was feeling anymore.. She didn't even know why she had told Demi. She just knew that she couldn't lie to Demi's face when Demi could see clearly that Miley was hurting inside.

That evening, Nick was sitting in the apartment. The television was on but he wasn't really watching it. He didn't even know what was on the screen. He had called in sick to work. He hadn't left the apartment all day. He had kept the curtains closed and had just sat down on the couch all day. He couldn't get his mind off Miley and the kiss.

Suddenly, his thinking was disturbed by somebody banging on the apartment door. Nick stood up and walked over to the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Demi.

"Move," she snapped.

Nick stepped to the side. Demi walked in, her heels making a clicking sound on the wooden floor of his apartment.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked.

"You can, actually," she replied, smiling. Her smile then dropped as she glared at him. "You can tell me what the hell happened last night with Miley." When Nick didn't answer, she let out a low growl. "Nicholas, answer me now."

"She told you then?" Nick asked. He walked further into the apartment and flopped down on the couch.

"Damn right she told me!" Demi exclaimed. She followed him and stood in front of him, blocking the television. "Now you better tell me why the hell you two kissed last night when you're married, for Christ's sake."

"Jake told her that people thought we had chemistry so we thought we'd try it out and see."

"And did you feel anything?"

"No." The same lie that he had told Miley the previous night left his lips.

Demi watched him suspiciously. "I know you, Nicholas. You're lying to me." Her gaze softened slightly as she sat down beside him. "Nick, I know you've been in a bad place since Selena left but was kissing your best friend the best way to forget about it?"

"It wasn't like that."

"Funny, that's what she said." Demi paused. "Nick, how can you be unfaithful to your wife?"

"God, Demi, chill. It was a kiss. That's all. It meant nothing." The last bit was a lie. Unfortunately for Nick, he was a horrible liar.

"You're a suckish liar," she stated.

"I know."

"So you did feel something?"

Nick didn't answer. He instead looked straight ahead to avoid Demi's gaze.

Demi hit his arm. "Hey. Look at me when I'm talking to you, Nicholas. Answer me. Did you feel something?" she demanded.

Nick paused. "I might have."

"You might?"

"Yeah ..."

Demi sighed. "Okay. Explain what you felt," she said.

He shook his head. "I can't explain it. It felt ... I don't know."

"A good feeling?"

He nodded.

"An amazing feeling?"

He nodded again.

Demi groaned. "No, no, no, no, no," she moaned. She glared at Nick. "You're married, stupid. How could you feel something for Miley whenever you married Selena? Nick, Selena wants a _baby_. And you're going off and kissing your best friend!"

"It isn't like I planned this," he snapped, clearly annoyed by her nagging.

She ignored his comment. "You can't tell Miley you felt something. I refuse to risk her getting hurt just because of you. Next time you talk to her, if she asks if you felt anything, you say no. Got it?" she instructed.

"I can't lie to her."

Demi sighed again and stood up. "You're going to have to. You care about her, right?"

He nodded. She smiled slightly at him.

"Then you have to do what's best for her. And right now, dating you isn't what's best for her." She hesitated. "She felt something during that kiss, Nick. Maybe it will hurt her if you tell her you felt nothing, but it will hurt even more if you two start sneaking around behind Selena's back." She paused. "Affairs and hiding and everything isn't good for a relationship. It never ends well."

Nick nodded slightly. "Okay," he whispered.

Demi knelt down beside him. "I don't want to hurt anybody, Nick. I'm just trying to protect both Miley and Selena. Selena would fall apart if she knew about this. And as for Miley ... I don't think her heart can handle any more lies and secrets."

Nick nodded again. "I get it."

Demi smiled and kissed his cheek. "I better get back to Joe. I'll call you later on in the week." She stood up straight again. "Talk to you soon." Demi then turned on her heel and walked out of the apartment.

Nick groaned and leaned back into the cushions on the sofa. None of this was going well. If he was brutally honest, he knew none of it was going to end well either.

"I'M NOT PAYINGYOU TO DO _THAT_! I'M PAYING YOU TO DO THIS!"

Miley's yells could be heard as soon as someone entered the hotel. She was currently yelling at one of the painters for painting the closet doors in one room a pale pink instead of leaving them white like she had originally asked.

"I'm sorry, ma'am! We thought you wanted us to do that!" the painter replied.

Miley took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I haven't had a good week." She paused. "Do you mind getting some white paint and painting it back? I'll pay you extra for any more paint you have to buy."

The painter nodded. "Sure thing." He looked over at the wardrobe doors. "Like I said, I'm sorry."

Miley smiled slightly. "It doesn't matter. I'll be down in my office if you need to ask any questions about anything," she said. She then turned around and walked down the hallway. She took the stairs down to the ground floor and reached the lobby. There she saw Nick sitting in an armchair by the fireplace.

When Nick saw her, he smiled. "Hey, Mi."

"Nick. Hi," she said. She walked behind the counter and flicked through some papers. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just came to visit you," he said casually.

She smiled slightly. "You also 'just came to visit' whenever Selena told you she wanted a baby." Miley stopped flicking through the paperwork and looked up. "You alright?"

Nick nods. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He paused. "Demi came to see me last night, you know."

Miley groaned. She didn't even want to ask what Demi had said, but she knew that she had to. "And?"

Nick stood up and walked up to the counter. He leaned against it and sighed. "She thinks I can't tell you something."

Miley's heart started beating faster. He just hoped he was about to say what she thought he was. "What's this something she thinks you can't tell me?"

Nick stood straight and slowly started walking around the counter. "Well," he said. "Remember that kiss last night? Remember how I said I felt nothing?" He was now in front of her. They were so close that they could feel each other's breath.

"Mhm," she said. It was the only noise she could manage to get out. Being so close to him after their kiss the night before was driving her insane. She just wanted to pull him closer and kiss him all over again.

"Well, I lied." He smirked slightly. His eyes drifted to her lips.

Miley smiled and bit her lip. Her eyes drifted to his lips as well. "I suppose that's good," she whispered, "because I felt something."

"Hm." Nick could make no other sounds. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Well, uh, maybe we should see if we feel anything ... again."

Miley's breath caught in her throat. "Maybe we should," she whispered.

Nick's hand rose to the back of Miley's head. She slowly moved in. Her lips then were on his and they were kissing all over again. Nick had Miley pressed against the counter.

After a few minutes, they pulled away. Miley kept her eyes closed and rolled her lips in. Nick let out a deep breath and looked down, pressing his forehead against hers. He rested his hands on her waist and she kept her arms around his neck.

Miley lowered her arms and slipped past him. She walked into the office. Nick quickly followed her and closed the door after them.

"So, did you feel anything?" he asked, walking closer to her.

Miley turned and smiled. "Maybe. What about you?"

Nick smirked. "What do you think?"

For a few moments, they just stood there, staring at each other in the silence. Suddenly, Nick pulled Miley closer and kissed her deeply. He lifted her up and put her on the desk. They were kissing passionately on the desk, their hands exploring each other.

Nick moved his lips down to her neck.

"Nick," Miley moaned. She took a deep breath and tried to cool herself down. She stopped him and looked him in the eye. "Nick ... what are we now?" she asked.

"Well, you feel something, right?"

She nodded.

"And I definitely feel something. So ... do you want to ... be with me?" he asked nervously.

"You're married."

"And where's my wife? Off with her mother. Miley ... I can't just let this go now."

Miley rolled her lips in again. "Neither can I."

"Then, uh, we should be together. See how it goes."

Miley nodded. "But I have one condition."

"Yes?"

"We keep it a secret."

Nick smirks. "That's a given. For a start, Selena would kill us both. And then Demi would kill me again."

Miley smiled and looked at him. "Nobody can ever find out," she said quietly, just to make sure he understood the need to keep it a secret.

Nick nodded. "No one," he confirmed.

Soon enough, they were kissing again. Miley knew that what she was doing was wrong. She never approved of affairs or infidelity, but this was different. She had never felt this way when she kissed somebody before. Sure, Nick was married. But she couldn't feel this way about him and not act on it. Anyway, by the way Nick was acting, Miley was pretty sure he wanted it just as much as she did.

**Hello :) Sorry for any spelling mistakes. Sometimes when I reread it for mistakes I miss some things. Thanks to RhondaAnn1, TheMsBrandy1, xmileylovex, nickandmiley3, Nileeyfan and for your reviews. Much appreciated. So yeah ... Review and tell me what you think. I'm back at school tomorrow so the update won't be posted as quickly as usual.**


	5. Chapter 5

The papers just kept piling up on Miley's desk. It was just over a week before the hotel was planned to open and Miley felt like she was drowning in all the work she had to do. Just as she finished looking over one set of papers, she buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes. She breathed out loudly. She looked at her watch. She had planned to meet Nick at her place in an hour or so.

"You alright?"

Miley looked up and saw Demi standing there. She took a deep breath and stood up from her seat behind the desk. She walked around to Demi and hugged her.

"I'm fine. I just have a ton of work to do. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks." Demi bit her lip and looked around awkwardly.

"What's up?" Miley asked. She knew something was wrong by the way Demi was acting.

"Selena called. She's heading to Vegas for the weekend with some of her friends from high school. She said she wants to get her mind off Nick for a while. She wanted me to ask you if you felt like coming along. I'm going, so it isn't like you would be alone," she said.

Miley took another deep breath. A weekend with Selena in Vegas was the last thing she needed. She had a ton of work to do with just over a week to do it. Also, she was hardly in the mood to go away with Selena when Miley was currently seeing Selena's husband behind her back.

"I don't know if I can, Dem." She nodded towards all the paperwork on the desk. "I have all of that to do before next Friday."

Demi bit her lip again. "Is this about the whole Nick situation?"

Damnit. Demi always could tell what Miley was thinking, no matter what words actually came from Miley's mouth.

"No," Miley lied.

"Mm. Then why aren't you going to go?"

"I have a ton of work to do. Like I said," Miley replied.

Demi raised her eyebrows. "You can't fool me, kid."

Miley hesitated, then spoke. "If it means so much to you then fine, I'll go to Vegas."

Demi smiled. "That's my girl. I'll pick you up on Friday morning at six. We'll met Sel at the airport then get the flight to Vegas." She gave Miley a quick hug. "I have to get back to Joe but I'll call you later, okay?"

Miley nodded. She watched Demi turn and walk out of the office. Miley then let out a deep sigh. She wasn't sure she could handle a whole weekend with Selena, especially with what was happening between Miley and Nick.

An hour later, Miley was in her kitchen. When she heard the doorbell ring, she slowly walked out and opened the front door to see Nick standing there with a bouquet of flowers.

When he saw her, he smiled. He reached out the flowers to her. "For the pretty lady," he said. He then leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Miley took the flowers and smiled. "Thank you. They're beautiful," she said. She led him into the kitchen. She found a vase and put the flowers in them with some water. She then turned to him and smiled again.

"So, how are you?" she asked.

He nodded slightly. "I'm good. A little tired. How about you?" he asked.

Miley rolled her lips in and took a deep breath. "I'm okay."

"Just okay?"

She nodded.

"What's up?"

Miley closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them to look at him. "Demi came by the hotel today," she said.

Nick's eyes widened slightly in alarm. "Does she know?"

Miley shook her head. "No, she has no idea. It's just ... she invited me to Vegas. With Selena," she replied. She bit her lip slightly and watched him, waiting for his reaction.

Nick stayed silent for a moment, then looked up at her. "With Selena, huh? Well, uh, I can't stop you from going, can I? You should go if you want," he said.

"That's the thing. I don't want to go."

"Then don't go," he said simply.

"I can't. I promised Demi. But I can't go either," she said.

"Why?"

"I can't look Selena in the eye and lie to her."

"You aren't lying."

Miley glared at him. "Nick, I'm seeing her husband behind her back. I'm pretty sure that's lying to her," she said.

"You know what I mean. If she doesn't ask and you don't tell her anything, it won't come up and you won't be lying to her. It would only be a lie if you said straight to her face that there was nothing going on between us," he said.

Miley sighed. "Nick ... Look, this is hard for me to say to any guy, let alone you. But ... what is this to you?"

He looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Does this mean anything to you?"

He stayed silent.

"What, so all you want out of this is a quick fumble every now and again?" she said in return to his silence. She was growing angry that he wouldn't answer her.

"Of course it isn't," he said softly.

"Then what the hell is it, Nick? You're married to one of my best friends. I won't lie to her this weekend unless this actually means something to you. If it doesn't mean anything then it's over. Right here, right now," she said.

Nick ran a hand through his hair. "Of course it means something, Miley. Do you think I'd risk both my marriage and our friendship if it didn't? You're my best friend, Mi. Always have been, always will be. If this meant nothing to me then I wouldn't ever put that in danger." He took a step closer and held her hand. "I like you. I tried to stop it but I couldn't. So to answer your question, yes, it means the world to me."

Miley smiled to herself and kissed his cheek. "Good," she whispered.

The following Friday, Demi pulled up in front of Miley's house, just like she said she would. She got out of her car and jogged up to Miley's door. Before she could even knock, Miley opened the door and smiled slightly.

"Hey, Dem," she said, giving Demi a quick hug.

"Hi, Miley. You ready to go?"

Miley nodded. She picked up her small suitcase and headed down to the car with Demi. Demi helped her get the suitcase into the car. They then got into the car themselves and started to drive down to the airport.

"How's all that paperwork of yours coming along?" Demi asked in an attempt to start up a conversation, even though she knew it was too early for either of them to be in the mood for a chat.

"It's good. Nick's keeping an eye on the hotel for me when we're gone so he'll be reading over some things and checking that they're okay," Miley replied.

"Oh, that's cool. The hotel opens next Friday, right?"

Miley nodded. "You got your invite okay?"

"Yeah, it came last week. We're excited for it," Demi said, smiling over at Miley.

Miley smiled. "It should be a good party. I'm pretty excited too," she said.

"Is it all nearly finished?"

"There's still a good bit of work to do, but it should be finished by Friday. Have you guys rented out a room for the opening night?" Miley asked.

Demi nodded. "We decided to just stay at your hotel for the weekend." Demi grinned at Miley. "Joe's excited that his mom has somewhere nice to stay whenever she visits."

Miley giggled and glanced at the time on her phone. "Of course Joe thinks about his mom. He's such a momma's boy," she said.

"The four of them are," Demi said.

"Definitely. Remember when we graduated high school?"

Demi laughed. "Nick ran straight over to his mom and said he didn't want to leave her," she said.

"Then he spent the whole night with his mom at your parents' party until we left for that party at Cam's house," Miley said, laughing along with Demi.

"Then the party got boring so we found Joe back at their parents' place and went down to the beach for the rest of the night," Demi said. She smiled slightly at the memory.

"That was your first kiss with Joe, right?"

Demi nodded.

"Wow, it was that long ago?"

Demi smiled and nodded again. "Yeah, I guess it was," she said softly.

Soon enough, they were at the airport. Miley and Demi had checked their bags in and were waiting at the gate for Selena and her friends to show up. They were chatting away casually about everything when they heard someone squeal and looked up.

"YOU GUYS ARE HERE!"

Miley rolled her eyes slightly, unnoticed by Demi. It was Selena. She was clearly in a good mood, even after everything that happened with Nick.

"Yeah, we got here a while ago," Demi said.

Selena sat down beside Miley and hugged her. "Hey, Miles. How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm good," Miley said shortly. She really wasn't in the mood for Selena's happy mood at that time. All she wanted to do was go home and call Nick, but she knew she couldn't.

"So," Selena said, "I'm guessing Demi told you why we're heading to Vegas."

Miley nodded.

"I'm so glad you could come, Miles. I just need to clear my head, you know? It's been so hard since I left for my mom's. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. So I was just like you know what? Screw him. I'm going to go out and party so hard he'll see what he's missing," Selena said.

Miley didn't really see how Selena's comments made sense, seeing as Nick won't know since he wouldn't see them in Vegas. She also didn't see how Selena, the girl who just weeks ago was the one arguing with her husband since she wanted a baby, was going out partying.

Miley was snapped out of her thoughts by someone clearing their throat. She looked up and saw three girls, all of them beyond gorgeous, looking at them.

Selena jumped up from her seat and hugged each of them. "Miley, Demi, these are my friends from home, Tisha, Andie and Taylor. Guys, these are my friends, Miley and Demi," she said, introducing them. She then lowered her voice, thinking Demi and Miley couldn't hear, but they most certainly could. "These are Nick's friends from when he was a kid, remember?"

Tisha glared at Miley. Miley remembered her from the wedding. She was one of Selena's bridesmaids. For unknown reasons to Miley, she had hated her from the beginning. Demi had always thought that it was because Tisha thought there was something going on between Nick and Miley. Now, however, those thoughts wouldn't exactly be untrue.

"Hey, guys," Demi said, smiling.

"Hey," Andie said. She, too, had been one of Selena's bridesmaids. She, however, was quite friendly towards Miley. Miley remembered her to be the sweetest of the bridesmaids. But at that moment, Andie didn't look so friendly. She looked like she could hardly have been bothered to get up as early as she had.

Miley looked at the third girl, Taylor. Her blonde curly hair flowed over her shoulders and her blue eyes were soft and gentle. She had a slight smile playing on her lips at Andie's bad mood. She then noticed Miley looking at her and smiled at her.

"Hi," she said, smiling.

Miley smiled back. "Hi. Have we met before?"

Selena interrupted. "No. Tay couldn't make it to the wedding. She was doing charity work in Africa and couldn't make it home in time for the wedding," she explained. Her tone turned bitter. "Not like my wedding matters anymore."

Andie and Tisha immediately began to comfort Selena. Taylor rolled her eyes slightly and smiled at Miley.

"She's been moaning about him and how he clearly isn't taking their vows seriously ever since she left. If you ask me, she has nothing to worry about. He clearly loves her. He isn't going anywhere," she whispered.

Miley bit her lip. Everyone kept saying that he loved Selena. If she was honest, she would never even doubt that Nick always had and always would love Selena. But where did she fit in? She was starting to feel as though all she was to Nick was a distraction. Something to get his mind off the fact that Selena left.

Hours later, they were at The Bellagio Hotel, waiting at reception to check in. They had already waited about an hour to get out of the terminal to get their bags and everything, then Tisha decided she had to use the bathroom so they were waiting for her for about fifteen minutes (God only knows what she was doing). They then had waited about an hour in the taxi line for a cab to their hotel.

Selena got to the front of the line and smiled at the woman. "Hi. Reservation for Selena Gray?" she said.

The woman typed something into her computer and waited. Miley looked around the lobby. It was pretty nice. The glass above caught her eye. It was beautiful.

"Yes," the woman said, snapping Miley from her thoughts. "Two suites?" she confirmed. Selena nodded. "Your rooms are ready for you," she said. She did something behind the desk and handed Selena two sets of keys. "Enjoy your stay," she said with a smile.

Selena smiled. "Thank you," she said. The group turned and walked away from the reception desk. They stopped. Selena handed Taylor, Andie and Tisha a set of keys. "You guys stay in a room together. I'll stay with Miley and Demi, if that's alright," she said.

Everybody nodded and headed towards the elevator. They headed up to their floor. When they arrived, they walked down the hallway together. Their suites were directly across from each other. Selena opened the door of their suite and walked in.

"See you guys later," she called to Taylor, Tisha and Andie.

Demi and Miley waved and followed Selena in, allowing the door to slam after them.

Miley looked around. The room was really nice.

"Sel, this place is really nice, but is it not really expensive?" Miley asked.

Selena shrugged and smirked as she put her suitcase down. "What does it matter? It's all going on Nick's credit card. He should be calling any minute now to yell at me once he finds out. The guy checks his credit card bill on the internet daily," she said.

Miley bit her lip. Selena was actually angry enough at Nick to put two suites at The Bellagio on his credit card, never mind the other things she would no doubt spend money on? She knew Selena was angry, but she didn't think she would do _that _to him.

She quickly took her phone out of her handbag and sent him a quick text.

_Heads up – she's putting two suites at Bellagio on your credit card. Call you later. -Miley x_

She then stuck her phone back in her bag and sat down.

"So, you guys want to head out shopping?" Selena asked, standing up.

"I'm a bit tired. You guys go ahead. I'll just take a nap for a while," Demi said, heading into the bedroom.

Selena looked at Miley. "You up for it? I need to talk to you about something anyway," she said.

"Um, okay," Miley said, glancing around. She then stood up and walked out of the room with Selena.

Together, they walked down the Strip. They soon ended up at the Venetian, walking around the shops and watching the people in the gondolas go past.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Miley asked. She was scared. What if Selena knew about her and Nick? She didn't even want to think about Selena when she was angry.

"It's about Nick ..."

Shit.

"What about him?" Miley asked, trying to hide how nervous she was.

"I need you to do me a favour," Selena continued.

"That depends on the favour."

"I need you to keep an eye on him."

Miley stopped and looked at Selena. "No harm, Sel, but Nick's a big boy. He can look after himself perfectly fine," she said.

Selena smiled. "I don't mean like feed him or make sure he pays the bills or whatever. I just mean ... Look, you know how he was in college. He was always partying. I don't want him to go back to that and meet somebody else, you know? I just want things to be okay between us when I come home," she said.

"And when will that be?"

Selena sighed and took a glance around the Venetian. "To be honest, I really don't know. I love him and I miss him like crazy, but I can't go back yet. There's still the whole thing about the baby, and I just can't handle any more arguments with him right now. Marriage is supposed to be about love and support but right now, ours doesn't feel like that," she said.

Miley nodded. With every word that came from Selena's mouth, more and more guilt filled Miley inside. Selena was in love with Nick, just as in love as she was when they had first started dating. She felt as though, in being with Nick, she was tearing their marriage apart. No, she didn't feel. She _knew_ she was tearing their marriage apart.

"Are you coming to the hotel opening next week?" Miley asked in an attempt to change the subject from Nick.

"Hopefully, yeah. I never got to tell you how amazing I think you are. I mean, you've been working on this hotel all by yourself. You haven't have any help with money from anybody, not even your parents. It's inspiring," Selena said. She smiled at Miley.

Miley smiled slightly back and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've always dreamed of this. Now it's coming true, I want to be able to say that I've done it all by myself. I don't want to have to owe anybody anything. I just want to look back in twenty years and say, 'That was all me.' You know what I mean?" she said.

Selena nodded. They started walking again in silence. Miley looked down. Something sparkled, catching her eye.

"You still wear your rings."

"Why wouldn't I?" Selena asked, confused.

"I don't know ... I just thought that you would want to clear your head completely of him for a while," Miley said.

Selena looked away. "I guess that I do. It's just nice to know that somebody out there loves me, no matter what complications we're going through, you know? I miss him. Even if I want to clear my head of him, I want just one small reminder of our happy times. That reminder is my rings," she explained.

"I see," Miley said slowly.

"Has he met anybody new since I've been gone?"

"No."

Technically, she wasn't lying. She wasn't new. She had in fact known Nick longer than Selena had.

"Has he gone out on any dates?"

"No."

Still, she was technically telling the truth. She and Nick had never gone_ out _on a date. They normally just had dinner at Miley's or watched a movie on Nick's couch.

"Does he still love me?"

"Yes."

This time, Miley had no idea whether she was lying or not. She and Nick had never exactly had the whole 'Do you still love her?' conversation. Selena was probably the last person either of them wanted to bring up. It would just had more guilt to the whole situation.

"And you'll keep an eye on him."

"If you really want me too."

"Thank you."

They were silent again, unsure what to say. Selena decided to break the silence.

"Did he ever tell you that story about the time he nearly broke his leg?"

"I was there."

"Oh ..."

It went back to being an awkward silence between them as they strolled along. There was only one thought running through Miley's head in that moment. _This is going to be a long weekend._

**BOOM. Hi (: Sorry it took so long to post. I've been super busy with school and stuff since I started back. It's a big year for me this year. Review with your opinions, please (: Remember – you can review anonymously (; Doesn't matter if you have an account or not. Sorry for any typos. I was rushing a bit this weekend to get this one up for you all. Hopefully another chapter next weekend.**

**Oh yeah, and I'm BUMPING UP THE RATING up to M. POSSIBLY (not definitely) some sex scenes and there's going to be a good bit of swearing coming up. **

**Thanks to nickandmiley3, Team M, TheMsBrandy1, RhondaAnn1, xmileylovex, xNileyxBubblesx and everytimeyousmilex. Sorry if I got anyone's username wrong or if I forgot anybody. If I did, it was unintentional (:**


	6. Chapter 6

That night, all the girls were in the one suite. Selena was rummaging through her suitcase, wearing only her bra and panties, looking for her make-up bag. Tisha and Andie were doing their make-up in the bathroom. Taylor was doing her hair. Demi was deciding which dress to wear. Miley, however, was sitting on her bed, staring at her phone.

She had about three missed calls on her phone, all from Nick. She didn't want to answer him. She was feeling more guilty than ever before, but she still missed him like crazy, even if it had only been about twenty four hours since she had seen him.

"Miley?"

Demi walked into the room, holding two dresses. "Which do you think?" she asked.

"Uh, the black one," Miley said.

"Thanks." Demi sat down beside Miley. "You okay, sweetie? You've been out of it all day. Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Miley shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Okay, if you're sure ... Well, you should get your hair and make up done. We're leaving in a few minutes, okay?" Demi said.

Miley nodded. "I'll catch up with you guys. I have to call Nick and check on the hotel back home. I'll be about ten minutes, tops. I'll see you guys down there though," she said.

Demi pressed her lips together tightly. "This is a vacation, Mi. Take a break from the hotel. You can call Nick in the morning. We're having a girls night tonight," she said in an attempt to stop Miley from calling Nick.

"It's really important. I'm sorry. I'll catch up with you, though. Promise," Miley replied.

Demi sighed. "Fine. See you down there, then," she said. She then turned on her heel and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door tightly behind her.

Miley applied some eyeliner and mascara and ran her fingers through her hair a few times before picking up her phone and pressing '1' on speed-dial for Nick.

"Hello, beautiful,"

His voice immediately brought a smile to her face. She then remembered why she was calling him. The smile soon dropped from her lips.

"You called?"

"Just thought I'd say hi."

"Oh, okay."

"Something wrong, Mi?"

His question made her pause. Obviously there was something wrong, but she was hardly going to tell him that. She was hardly able to admit that to herself.

"She says she loves you."

"I'd like to think so, seeing as she married me."

Her tone grew cold. "Is this some kind of joke to you, Nicholas? This isn't a freaking game. We're messing with people's lives now. You said it yourself, we can't give this up. It isn't funny that she loves you. Actually, it's the complete opposite of funny," she snapped.

"Okay, okay, calm down. What's wrong with you?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't know if I can do this anymore," she whispered into the phone.

He stayed silent for a moment. "Don't say that," he said back, his voice calm and gentle.

She felt a single tear slide down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. "She's completely in love with you. She's one of my best friends. I can't do this. You're her husband. I can't go behind her back like this, Nick," she said.

"Miley, come on. Don't do this. Let's just talk about this when you get home, okay? We can talk about it calmly. We can figure something out," he said.

"Nick, I can't. Selena's one of my best friends. I can't do this with her husband. It isn't fair on anybody. You clearly love her. She loves you. I don't want to feel like your bit on the side."

"You aren't."

"Don't deny it. I am. You love your wife. End of story," she said.

More tears fell from her gentle blue eyes. She walked over to the window and looked out. "Thanks for watching over the hotel for me. I'll talk to you some time soon." She hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Nick."

"Miley -"

He never got the chance to finish what he was going to say. She had already hung up on him.

She looked down at her phone. She couldn't believe she had ended it. Despite her previous feelings, all she wanted to do was call him back and tell him she had made a terrible mistake and she hadn't meant it and she still wanted to be with him, but she knew she could never do that.

She turned off her phone and slipped it into the drawer in the cabinet beside the bed. She took a deep breath and touched up her make up before walking out of the bedroom and out the door.

Once she got into the club, she walked straight over to the bar. She ordered herself a cocktail and looked around the room in search for her friends.

She noticed Andie and Tisha over at the other end of the bar, but she wasn't really in the mood to talk to them. She noticed Demi dancing with Selena, but she really didn't want to talk to Selena at that moment. She looked around some more in search of Taylor, the only one she was actually willing to talk to.

Miley walked around the club, looking everywhere. She eventually found Taylor talking to some guy. Miley turned to walk away and leave the two in peace, but she heard Taylor call her name over the pumping music.

"Miley! Over here!"

Miley turned around and saw Taylor frantically waving her over. Miley walked over and smiled.

"Hey, Taylor," she said.

"Miley, this is Jeff. Jeff, this is my friend, Miley," Taylor said, introducing them.

Jeff smiled at Miley. "Hello," he said. Miley smiled slightly in return.

"The hotel okay?" Taylor asked.

Miley nodded.

"Well, I better head off and find Andie and Tisha. You two talk. Have some fun," Taylor said. She turned away from Jeff and winked at Miley before quickly running off into the crowd of people in the club.

Jeff chuckled. "I think we've been set up," he said.

Miley giggled. "Yeah, I think so," she replied.

"You met Taylor before?" he asked.

"No, not personally before this trip. She's a friend of a friend though. What about you?" she asked.

He nodded. "Tay was a friend of mine back in middle school. We lost touch and bumped into each other at the bar. She was my first kiss and all that," he said. He looked over his shoulder then back at Miley. "A friend of mine has a VIP booth. He invited me over. Would you like to join us?" he asked.

Miley bit her lip. It wasn't like she was cheating on Nick. She had just ended it. And Jeff seemed like a nice guy so far. What harm could it do?

"Sure," she replied, smiling up at him.

He smiled back and took her hand. He led her through the crowd until he reached a VIP booth. There was a group of about four or five other people there. They all smiled up at Jeff but looked up at Miley confused.

"Who's this, Jeff?" one girl asked.

"This is Miley. She's a friend of a friend. I thought she might like to join us. You guys don't mind, right?" he asked.

"No, it's fine," one guy said.

"Miley, these are my friends."

Miley waved awkwardly at them and sat down beside Jeff. One guy reached over and stretched out his hand for her to shake. She shook it gently and looked at him.

"My name's Andrew," he said, smiling.

She smiled back. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"You from Vegas?"

"No, I'm from California. What about you guys?"

"Nah, we're from New York City. Carmen over there works for some big event planner and had some party to do this weekend here in Vegas. Tonight's her night off so she asked us to come with her and we could have some fun out of the city," Andrew explained.

Miley smiled and nodded. "I'd love to go to New York."

"You've never been?" Jeff asked.

Miley shook her head. "No, never. I really want to though. It sounds amazing. My best friend went there one summer for an internship. She said it was unbelievable," she said.

"It's pretty awesome," Andrew said, smiling.

Jeff looked at Miley and smiled. "Do you want to dance?" he asked.

Miley smiled back. "Sure," she replied.

Jeff took her hand and helped her up from the low seat. They pushed through the crowd to the dancefloor, soon reaching their destination. Jeff pushed through into the middle of the crowd.

Miley slipped her arms around his neck and started swaying her hips to the beat of the music. Jeff put his hands on her hips and started dancing with her.

Miley couldn't deny it – she was having fun. Jeff and Andrew were super nice guys. Who wouldn't like them? They were both extremely hot and both really sweet. They were amazing men. Her only problem was that she couldn't get Nick off her mind. The only thing running through her mind was their conversation over an hour ago. She couldn't believe she had ended something as amazing as what they had. But she knew it was the right thing to do for everybody involved.

After a while, she removed her arms from Jeff's neck and smiled. She leaned up and said into his ear, "I have to go and find my friends."

"Can I get your number?" he asked.

Miley nodded. Jeff handed her his phone and she put in her number. She smiled at him again and kissed his cheek.

"I had fun. Call me if you're ever in California. We'll see if you're anywhere near me," she said.

Jeff nodded and watched her as she disappeared into the crowd. Instead of going to find her friends, she left and went back to their room. She was going home.

About an hour later, Miley had changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt and flip flops. Her bags were packed and she was ready to go. Her phone was sitting on the bed. She had about twenty missed calls from Nick. She didn't know whether to take it or just leave it in Vegas.

A tear streamed down her cheek as she thought back to their conversation for what felt like the millionth time that night. She picked up her phone and switched it off before slipping it into her pocket. She grabbed the notepad and pen off the desk and wrote a quick note to Selena and Demi.

_Something's come up. I've gone back to California. I'll talk to you when you all get back. See you soon. Love Miley x_

She put the note down on the coffee table and walked out of the room before she could stop herself.

Back in California, Nick was sitting in his apartment with his head in his hands. Miley hadn't picked up any of his calls. He couldn't just let it end the way it had. It meant too much to him. He was in too deep. He didn't know what to do.

He heard the door open and looked up to see Joe. Joe was staring at him with raised eyebrows. He then slowly walked over to Nick and sat down on the couch beside his brother.

"You okay, Nick?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine," grunted Nick.

"Don't lie to me, kid," Joe warned.

Nick took a deep breath and buried his face in his hands again. "I can't do this anymore. I can't stay married to Sel. All I'm doing is lying to her," he whispered.

"What's going on, Nick?"

Nick shook his hand, staying silent.

Joe furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't know how to help. "Nick, come on. Tell me. What's the matter? You're scaring me."

Nick wiped a single tear away and looked up. "If I tell you, it stays between us."

"Okay, okay."

"Miley and I have been ... seeing each other."

"Like hell you have."

"I'm not kidding, Joe."

Joe's jaw dropped in shock. "But you always said you didn't feel that way about her." He shook his head. "You said she was like your sister." Joe stood up in anger. "You married Selena yet you felt this way about Miley?"

Nick closed his eyes. "It isn't like that."

"What the hell is it then?"

"Miley went on a date with Jake from high school. He said something to her about how we have chemistry so we decided to try it out. Neither of us could stop thinking about it. So we kind of saw each other."

"And you hid this from me?"

"What was the point in making it public knowledge? It wasn't going to do anybody any good."

"And why are you so upset?"

Nick took a deep breath. "She just called me from Vegas and ended it," Nick replied.

"Why?"

"She said something about talking to Selena and Selena loving me."

"And do you love Miley?"

"Of course I do."

"No, Nick, I don't think you understand me. I don't mean do you love her. I mean, are you in love with her?"

Nick stayed silent. He didn't know how to answer that. He loved Miley with everything in him. She was and always would be his best friend. The past few weeks had meant everything to him. It just wasn't the right time and chances were it probably never would be for them.

"I don't know," Nick replied finally.

"I think that you need to sit down and think about who you want to be with – Miley or Selena. If you don't, it will never end well," Joe advised. He patted his brother on the back. "You need to decide what is best for you right now. Forget what Miley and Selena think or want. For once in your life, put yourself before anybody else," he said.

Nick paused. "I want Miley."

"Then go get her."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

Joe smiled. "You tell me, Mr Romantic." Joe then stood up and ruffled Nick's curls playfully. "I have to go and meet a friend from work. Call me tomorrow. I'll see you at Miley's opening, okay?"

Nick nodded and watched his brother as he walked out of the apartment and out into the hallway. The door slammed behind him. The slam was followed by an empty silence, reminding Nick that he was all alone.

It was soon the night of Miley's hotel opening. Miley had piled on the work to take her mind off of Nick. Nick had completely pulled himself away from everyone else and had spent most of his time in his apartment, and no one knew what he was doing except for Joe.

Miley was in her office, ready for the party, when there was a knock on the door. She looked up and saw Demi there, smiling at her.

"Hey, Miles. How are you?"

Miley hugged her. "I'm good, thanks. You?" she replied.

"I'm good." Demi hesitated. "Mi, sweetie, I have some bad news, I'm afraid."

Miley sighed. It seemed as though all anybody ever had for her was bad news.

"Go ahead."

"The band's cancelled."

Miley closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She had a feeling that something would go wrong, but the band cancelling on her was beyond wrong. The whole party had revolved around the band. What was she supposed to do now?

"Joe's trying to sort out where to move the stage to. You know, there's no point in it being there if there's no band," Demi said.

"No, leave it," Miley said.

"Why?"

"I have an idea." Miley switched off the lamp on her desk and headed towards the door. "Are there many people here yet?" she asked.

"About thirty or so," Demi replied.

"Okay. Do you mind telling Joe to just leave the stage where it is? I'll handle it. I'll find somebody," Miley said, leading Demi out of the office and into the lobby.

"No problem."

Demi then rushed off into the corner of the room where the temporary stage had been set up for the band to tell Joe to stop what he was doing.

Miley took a deep breath and looked around the room from behind the check in desk. Her parents had arrived, as well as Selena and some people Miley knew from around the city. She nodded. Her employees were serving champagne as she had asked them to. The piano player she had hired to play until the band was supposed to come on was playing perfectly. All seemed well.

Selena then rushed over to Miley when she saw her and hugged her tightly.

"MILEY! Where did you go last weekend? We had no idea where you went. We were so worried! What happened?"

"Something just came up at the hotel that Nick couldn't handle," Miley lied.

"Okay ..."

"Nick's coming, I think."

"I know. I called him. He says we need to talk tonight after the party," Selena said, grinning.

Miley felt her heart sink at the thought of Nick and Selena talking. _He probably wants her back_, she thought.

"Oh right. Well, uh, hopefully it all goes well," Miley said.

"Oh, Miles, I really hope he's come to his senses. Like, I really don't understand what his problem was in the first place. A baby's a baby. He would have had nine months to get ready for it," Selena said.

Miley rolled her eyes slightly without Selena realising, then smiled.

"Maybe he's come around," she said.

"Hopefully. I'm away to the ladies room. I'll talk to you later, though," Selena said. She gave Miley another quick hug before walking quickly off into the growing crowd.

In the time Miley and Selena had been talking, about thirty or forty more people had come into the room.

Miley looked around once again before freezing. She saw Nick walk through the French doors and look around. She swallowed and looked him up and down. He looked _hot_. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants with a white shirt.

He turned his head and their eyes met. His lips turned up into a smile. He then raised his hand slightly and waved at her. Miley waved back slightly. She then looked away to stop her heart from beating any faster at the sight of him. She slipped off into the crowd and starting talking to some of the guests.

About half an hour later, she bumped into Nick. Their eyes met. They stared at each other.

"Miley," he breathed.

"Nick," she said.

"How have you been?"

"Good."

"Glad to hear it."

"Mm ..." she trailed off. "I know this is kind of awkward, but I need a favour," she said gently.

"What?"

"My band cancelled. I need somebody to perform. I remember you used to write songs in high school. I was wondering if maybe you could perform something for the crowd," she asked.

"I haven't performed since high school."

"Please, Nick. You're my only hope."

He smiled slightly. He quite liked that she was asking him. "Okay, I'll do it. You got a guitar?"

"In the office."

"I'll go on now if you want," he said.

Miley nodded. "You go warm up, okay?"

Nick slipped off into the crowd towards the office. Miley took a deep breath and took to the stage. The crowd went silent and looked up at her.

"Hey, everybody. Thank you all so much for coming out and supporting me in the opening of my new hotel. It means the world to me," she said. She smiled. "Some of you may know this, but the band cancelled tonight. Luckily, we have a musician in the building this evening. I'd like you all to welcome my friend to the stage, Mr Nick Gray!" she called.

She looked out towards the office and saw Nick walk out with the guitar from her office. She smiled down at him and watched as he made his way through the clapping crowd to the stage. When he got there, he hugged her and sat down on the stool. She quickly stepped down from the stage and stood beside Joe and Demi.

Nick started strumming his guitar.

"_Easy come, easy go, that's just how you live, Oh, take, take, take it all but you never give. Should've known you was trouble from the first kiss, Had your eyes wide open, why were they open?_"

Nick's voice was soft and sweet. Miley smiled slightly. That is, until she realised he was looking directly at her as he sang.

"_Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash, You tossed it in the trash, you did. To give me all your love is all I ever asked, 'Cause what you don't understand is I'd catch a grenade for you, Throw my head on a blade for you, I'd jump in front of a train for you, You know I'd do anything for you."_

Tears came to Miley's eyes. She had never realised that the guilt she had been feeling when she had been with Nick was probably twice as bad for him.

"_I would go through all this pain, Take a bullet straight through my brain, Yes, I would die for you, baby, But you won't do the same, No, no, no, no."_

Nick smiled slightly to himself as he strummed the guitar in his hands. He felt as thought all his feelings and emotions over the previous week were being released.

"_Black, black, black and blue, beat me 'til I'm numb, Tell the devil I said, hey, when you get back to where you're from. Mad women, bad women, that's just what you are, yeah, You'll smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car. Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash, You tossed it in the trash, yes, you did. To give me all your love is all I ever asked, 'Cause what you don't understand is _

_I'd catch a grenade for you, Throw my head on a blade for you, I'd jump in front of a train for you, You know I'd do anything for you. I would go through all this pain, Take a bullet straight through my brain, Yes, I would die for you, baby, But you won't do the same._"

Miley took a deep breath and wiped away a stray tear. She looked around, looking for a way out. She couldn't just stand there and listen to him basically say how bad a person she was to him.

"_If my body was on fire, Ooh, you'd watch me burn down in flames. You said you loved me, you're a liar, 'Cause you never, ever, ever did, baby."_

Miley was filled with anger. How dare he think she never felt anything for him? Her feelings for him were undeniable, even if she had been the one to end it.

"_But darling, I'd still catch a grenade for you, Throw my head on a blade for you, I'd jump in front of a train for you, You know I'd do anything for you. I would go through all this pain, Take a bullet straight through my brain, Yes, I would die for you, baby, But you won't do the same. No, you won't do the same, You wouldn't do the same, Ooh, you never do the same, No, no, no, no."_

Nick ended his last note and looked down at Miley. Silent tears were pouring down her cheeks. She shook her head up at him. He smiled at her and held up a finger to tell her to wait. He then immediately started into a new song.

"_You warned me that you were gonna leave, I never thought that you would really go. I was blind but baby now I see, Broke your heart but now I know, That I was being such a fool, And I didn't deserve you_."

Miley felt a hand being placed on her back. She turned to see Joe smiling down at her. Joe leaned down to her ear and whispered, "I hope you realise he loves you. More than you can even imagine." Joe put an arm around her.

"_I don't wanna fall asleep, 'Cause I don't know if I'll get up. And I don't wanna cause a scene, But I'm dying without your love. Begging to hear your voice, Tell me you love me too. 'Cause I'd rather just be alone, If I know that I can't have you."_

Miley looked up at Nick. His eyes were filled with tears as he stared out into crowd, strumming on the guitar. Anybody could tell that the song meant everything to him and that it was exactly how he was feeling.

"_Looking at the letter that you left, Wondering if I'll ever get you back. Dreaming about when I'll see you next, Knowing that I never will forget, That I was being such a fool, And I still don't deserve you."_

Nick looked down at Miley and let out a small smile.

"_I don't wanna fall asleep, 'Cause I don't know if I'll get up. And I don't wanna cause a scene, 'Cause I'm dying without your love, yeah. Begging to hear your voice, Tell me you love me too._

_'Cause I'd rather just be alone, If I know that I can't have you."_

Nick stood up and let a small tear fall from his eye as closed his eyes and focused in on the music and putting his all into it.

"_So tell me what we're fighting for, 'Cause we know that the truth means so much more, 'Cause you would if you could, don't lie. 'Cause I'll give everything that I've got left, To show you I mean what I have said, I know I was such a fool but I can't live without you."_

He opened his eyes and looked around the room. Everyone was watching him in admiration. Chances were that half the people in the room had never seen a grown man showing so much love and emotion in front of so many people.

"_I don't wanna fall asleep, Don't know if I'll get up. I don't wanna cause a scene, But I'm dying without your love. I'm begging to hear your voice, Tell me you love me too. 'Cause I'd rather just be alone, If I know that I can't have you, yeah."_

He looked down at the guitar, focusing on the strings and the notes he was supposed to play.

"_Don't wanna fall asleep, 'Cause I don't know if I'll get up. I don't wanna cause a scene, 'Cause I'm dying without your love, yeah. I'm begging to hear your voice, Tell me you love me too. 'Cause I'd rather just be alone, If I know that I can't have you."_

He finished the song and looked down at Miley with pure love in his eyes. He gave her a small smile and glanced in the direction of the office, telling her to go and meet him there. She nodded and watched as he walked off the stage.

Joe leaned down and placed a platonic kiss on Miley's forehead. "He chooses you," Joe whispered.

Miley looked up at Joe in shock. She was certain she was hearing things. There was no way Nick had chosen her. She looked up at Joe, unable to believe what he was saying. Joe smiled and nodded. Miley grinned and rushed off through the crowd and towards her office.

When she reached the office, she pushed the door open with a huge grin on her face. She then froze in the doorway. What she saw wasn't what she had been expecting at all.

Selena and Nick were kissing on her desk.

**HELLO :) Lovely long chapter here :) Opinions? Sorry for any mistakes, I was rushing to get it out. Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are nice. Hopefully post some time this weekend or next week? Put 'duck' in your review if you read my author's notes, btw ;)**

**I know the party was a bit rushed, but I'm trying to get onto part of the more dramatic bits. The only like really important thing about the party was the end of it whenever Nick was singing, then again when Nick and Selena were kissing in Miley's office.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Forgot to mention in the last chapter – 'Can't Have You' by the Jonas Brothers and 'Grenade' by Bruno Mars aren't mine. I take no credit for them. **

Miley watched them in silence. A small tear fell from her eye. She quickly wiped it away. She wasn't going to let him know that he was getting to her. No way in hell was she going to give him the satisfaction.

Sensing somebody else in the room, Selena pulled away from Nick and turned around. She smiled and gave Miley a small wave.

"Hey, Mi," she said. She gave Nick a small kiss on the cheek. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, baby, okay?" She then walked from the office, closing the door behind her.

Miley shook her head as she stared at Nick, who was avoiding her gaze at all costs. He couldn't stand to look at her after what had just happened between him and Selena. When he finally met her gaze, he gulped. She didn't look happy at all.

"That wasn't what it looked like," he said slowly.

Miley laughed humourlessly. "Funny, I think Jake said that to me as well." Miley shook her head again. "You know, when Joe said that you chose me, I really thought he meant it. I really thought that you were willing to try and make this work between us," she said.

"Joe told you that?"

"What, didn't you see me? I thought it was so romantic that you sang that second song. I thought I had made the biggest mistake imaginable in breaking up with you. Turns out I was wrong. It was for Selena, huh?" She closed her eyes. "I'm done, Nick." She then turned to leave the room.

Nick quickly stepped in front of her and stopped her. "Miley, it wasn't like that. Of course those songs were for you. You were the only thing on my mind. Look, I came in here to talk to you. I wanted to make things right with us. Selena saw me come in and followed me. She kissed me. What else was I supposed to do? She's my _wife_. I couldn't just push her away," he said.

Miley glared at him. "You think that will make me forgive you?" She wiped away a tear that had fallen. She hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Do you think this is easy for me, Nick? I have to lie to everybody I love because I want to be with you. Maybe it's hard for you but it's _just _as bad for me. So stop your whole 'oh, I'm married and cheating on my wife, I'm a horrible person' thing. It's getting really old now," she snapped.

"What act? You think this is an _act_? Miley, you have no idea what this feels like I married Selena. I promised her I'd love her and look after her. What am I supposed to do? She's my wife. I can't just abandon her. I can't hurt her like that," he replied.

Miley shook her head. "Yet you can easily hurt me just as badly." She pushed Nick out of her way and opened the door. "Thanks for coming and thanks for helping me out. I'm going home. See you around, Nick." Miley then walked out of her office with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Nick watched her as she walked away. He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated, before he went over and punched the wall in anger. He couldn't believe he had just let her walk away without a fight. He couldn't believe what he had done.

Hours before, he was all set to go over to Selena and tell her what had been going on with Miley and how he felt about her. Then Selena kissed him and it reminded him that Selena was in love with him and that he couldn't just break her heart like that. He wasn't that kind of person.

Nick walked over to the window of Miley's office, looking out over the small courtyard at the back. Through the gate he saw Miley's car pull out of the staff parking lot and out onto the main road.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Miley was right. Maybe he had been scared of hurting Selena, but in the process of keeping Selena happy, he had broken Miley's heart just as badly as he had feared he would break Selena's.

In the end, it didn't really matter what was going on with Miley. Whatever way it worked out, someone was going to end up with a broken heart.

Miley walked into her house and looked around. Silence. Emptiness. The only noise was the sound of her keys jingling as she tossed them onto the table and her stilettos clicking off the wooden floor of the entrance-way.

Miley slowly put her clutch on the table and walked into the living room. She looked around. For weeks, Nick had been on that couch with her nearly every night. They would spend the whole night laughing together or watching a movie or even just talking and kissing.

She wiped away a tear that had fallen. Thinking of their nights together wasn't going to make anything better. It wasn't going to make him come back to her. And it certainly wasn't going to make Selena disappear.

Miley sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands. How did she let herself get in so deep? After everything with Jake in high school, she had promised herself that she would never get involved with a man who had his own problems. Jake's had been his habit of cheating, Nick's was that he was already married.

Miley stood up and walked over to the fireplace. She picked up one of the pictures and stared at it, a smile playing on her lips. It was of her and Nick in their senior year at high school, after Nick's team had just won the championship ...

"_THEY WON!" Miley screamed, hugging Demi tightly in the stands. They watched as Nick grinned up at them and his brother, Joe._

_The crowd started to move down to the pitch, surrounding the team. They pushed their way through to find Nick and congratulate him. Finally, they found him. The first thing he did was engulf Miley in a huge bear hug._

"_Congratulations!" Miley yelled over the cheering crowd._

"_Couldn't have done it without my good luck charm," he replied, smiling._

_Miley blushed slightly. One of Nick's team-mates walked past and noticed Nick and Miley talking. He grinned and patted Nick on the back._

"_Get in there, man!" he yelled._

_Nick went red. "We're just friends," he said._

_The guy smirked, looking Miley and Nick up and down. "Mm, I bet you are," he said. He then walked off to find some of his friends._

_Nick smiled sheepishly at Miley. "Sorry about him. He doesn't believe that you and I are just friends. Never has, never will," he said._

_Miley smiled. "Don't worry about it. Tonight's your night. Forget about it," she said, hugging Nick tightly again. _

_Nick's mother, Denise, came rushing over with tears in her eyes."My baby, the school hero!" she screamed. She hugged him tightly and started kissing his face all over. She pulled away and smiled at him. "I'm so proud of you," she said._

_Nick blushed. "Thanks, Mom," he said._

_Denise noticed Miley and smiled. "Miley, dear, how about you and Nick get a picture together? This is a big night for him. He'll want to look back and remember that his best friend was with him," she said._

"_Sure, no problem," Miley said, smiling at Denise._

"_Mom," Nick groaned. "This is embarrassing."_

"_Oh hush, it'll be over before you know it," Denise snapped. She lifted her camera and pressed the button down. The flash went off and the picture had been taken._

The smile never left Miley's lips as she looked down at the picture. That night had been one of the best of her life. She had spent the whole night with Demi, Joe and Nick at a party before heading to Miley's parents' beach house out in Malibu. They had spent the whole weekend there.

She wiped away her tears and sniffed. She wasn't going to let the memories get to her any more. He had hurt her enough. She refused to let him get to her any more than he already had.

Miley stood up from the couch and looked around the room. She felt a sharp pain inside as the memories flooded through her mind. She closed her eyes in an effort to rid herself of thoughts of Nick and walked on through to the kitchen.

Even in her kitchen, all she could think about was Nick. The time when they had tried to bake a cake soon after she had moved in. All the times they had sat down at her kitchen table and talked for hours on end about their lives. The time Nick had helped her when she was hosting her niece's birthday party when her sister was getting her place renovated.

Miley couldn't stick it. Every room she went into, she thought of him. In the bathroom, she thought of the time when she was looking around before buying when Nick scared her by jumping out of the shower. In the hallway, she thought of all the nights she had kissed him goodnight at the living room door. In her study, she thought of the nights she would lie beside him in the armchair and he would read to her.

When Miley finally reached her bedroom, she stopped in the door. She looked at her bed. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered _that _night. The night that had changed everything. The night that Miley really did fall in love with him.

"_Oh my gosh, stop it!" Miley screamed at Nick._

_He stopped tickling her on her bed and grinned down at her. "I'm sorry," he said. He planted a soft, gentle kiss on her forehead and intertwined their fingers. _

_Miley smiled up at him. Her smile slowly faded. "Do you ever think of her?" she whispered._

_Nick hesitated. "Sometimes. When I'm at home alone, I think of her."_

_Miley nodded and looked down. She had always known that he would be thinking of Selena, but she didn't really like to hear it._

_Nick lifted her chin and smiled at her. "But then when I'm with you, I completely forget about everything that has happened with me and her," he whispered._

_Miley smiled and leaned in. She kissed him softly on the lips. Slowly, their kiss got more heated. Before they realised it, they were both lying on the bed with their clothes off, just their underwear on, their hands running up and down each other's bodies, exploring each other._

_Nick pulled away slightly, breathing heavily. "Do you want to?" he panted, looking into her eyes. She nodded. He closed his eyes. "Do you think we should?" he asked._

_Miley bit her lip. "I want to ... But I think we should wait," she said slowly._

_Nick opened his eyes. "Are you sure?" he whispered._

"_I can't do that when you're still with Selena. I already feel guilty enough. I can't be the woman her husband's cheating on her with and have sex with her husband. It just wouldn't feel right," she whispered back._

_Nick nodded. "I understand," he said simply._

Miley unzipped her dress and stepped out of it. She pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a plaid shirt from earlier on in the day before heading straight for her walk-in closet. She pulled out three suitcases and put them on the bed.

Miley walked over to her drawers and pretty much emptied all her clothes and underwear into the suitcases. She put a few things in from her wardrobe and some jewellery and make-up from her dresser. She walked into the bathroom and got her toiletries. She put in some shoes, some books, some photographs and her laptop and charger.

Miley then zipped up the suitcases and took them all out to the car. She shoved two suitcases into the trunk then shoved the third into the backseat. She rushed back into the house and grabbed her phone, keys, handbag and wallet before rushing back out to the car and getting in.

For a moment, she just sat there in her car, not really sure what was happening. Before she could change her mind, she stuck the key in the ignition and reversed out of her driveway.

Miley didn't really know where she was going. All she really knew was that she needed to get out of that house and away from all those memories.

"Where is she?"

Nick walked over to the counter in the lobby. It was the night after the party. He had tried calling Miley about a million times but she didn't pick up. When he went to her house, her car was gone.

Demi looked up from the computer behind the counter. "I'd tell you if I knew," she replied.

"What are you talking about? Isn't she here?"

Demi shook her head. She typed something into the computer and looked at him again. "She texted me last night. She said she was going away for a bit and asked me to mind the hotel for her while she's gone," she explained.

"She left?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"And you don't know where she went?"

Demi sighed. "No, I don't." She paused. "Look, Nick. I really didn't want to get involved with whatever you and Miley had going on." She smiled slightly at his shocked face. "Yes, Nick, I knew it was happening. Anyway, I didn't want to get involved. But whatever is going on, you need to fix it with her." She hesitated, then touched his arm over the counter. "Don't let her run away," she said softly.

"Were you not completely against all this a few weeks ago?"

She smiled slightly. "That was before I saw how happy you made her," she replied.

Nick sighed. "How the hell am I supposed to know where she is?" he asked.

Demi shrugged. "You're her best friend, you tell me. What's her favourite place in the world?" she asked.

"Hawaii."

"Why?"

"Because the four of us went there the summer after our freshman year at college. She said it was one of the best vacations of her life. She said it was a really good place to clear her head," he said. He stopped, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips. "That's it."

"What's it?" Demi asked, confused. She never had been one to catch on quickly.

"She's in Hawaii."

"And how do you know this? Nick, she could be God knows where," Demi said.

Nick smiled. "I have a feeling." He backed away towards the doors. "I have to go. If you hear from her, tell her to call me." Nick then turned on his heel and ran out of the hotel to his car.

"Where are you going?" Demi yelled after him, but she got no response. She sighed to herself and rested her head on the counter. "God, why does everything have to be so complicated with them?" she muttered to herself.

Selena pushed open the door of the apartment and looked around. It was empty.

"Nick, sweetie?" she called.

No response. She walked further into the apartment and looked around some more. She was pleasantly surprised. It was even cleaner than when she had left. To be honest, Nick always had been quite a clean and tidy man.

She walked into the kitchen. It seemed to be just as she'd left it without a thing out of place, expect for a box of cereal on the counter and a bowl and spoon in the sink. Selena put the milk and spoon in the dishwasher and placed the cereal back in the cupboard before walking out of the kitchen and into the living room.

The cushions on the couch were neatly plumped up. There were no dirty dishes or coffee cups lying around. The coffee table was empty except for the remotes for the television and DVD player, that morning's paper and Nick's copy of The Economist.

Selena promptly moved on to the bedroom. She pushed open the sliding door and stepped in. The bed was perfectly made on her side. Nick's side was unmade. His glass of water and his copy of To Kill A Mockingbird were on his bedside table beside his alarm clock. His pyjamas were on the floor from when he had changed that morning.

She smiled to herself. Everything seemed as perfect as when she had left. There was hardly a speck of dirt anywhere.

_Maybe he cleaned to take his mind of the fight,_ she thought. Her smile faded. _Maybe he got some hot cleaning lady to do all of this for him_. She looked around the bedroom. It was nearly too clean for Nick. Sure, he was a clean guy but he wasn't ever as clean as the apartment was.

_Someone else has been in here_.

Selena inadvertently let out a low noise of anger. Maybe it wasn't confirmed that somebody else had been there, but she knew. Nick had never in the whole time they had lived together kept everything in its place. He tidied things away but he never tidied it this well. The tidiness of the apartment was not something she thought a man could achieve. It had to be another woman.

_It damn well better be Miley_, she thought.

She couldn't stand the thought of another woman, one whom she didn't know, one whom she didn't trust, coming into her home and cleaning up after her husband. It was her job and her job only to look after Nick. They were married. It was nobody else's job to tidy up his apartment or wash his dishes or wipe down every single surface until it was sparkling clean.

No way in hell was she going to let some other woman come into her home and do all her wifely duties for her. That was her home and she refused to let somebody else come in and take responsibility for the things that she as Nick's wife was obliged to do.

Selena smirked to herself slightly. Of course, no other woman could do the one thing she could. No woman could make him moan out her name as she did. No other woman could make him yell in ecstasy as she could.

She licked her lips at the memory. And of course, no other woman would _ever_ be able to christen a new apartment with him as she had.

Selena turned on her heel and walked out of the apartment, the heels of her black leather boots clicking against the wooden floor.

No, this was her apartment. The apartment she shared with her husband. She wasn't going to let some other woman invade her territory. She didn't know for sure what had happened when she was gone, but she was definitely going to find out. And when she found out, she was going to use that information to her advantage. She was going to make her husband love her even more than he did before.

Nick walked into the apartment that night after an exhausting day. He had done everything in his power to try and find out if Miley was where he thought she was. He had called her dad and asked him if he knew, but he said that he hadn't spoken to Miley since the night before. Her mother had said the same thing.

When he had called her sister, she said that she had texted Miley this morning, telling her what she thought of the party, but she had gotten no reply from Miley. Her brother said basically the same thing.

When he called Joe, Joe had told him that he knew as much as Demi did – that Miley had texted Demi asking her to watch the hotel while she was gone. Joe, however, did tell him that he was sorry about how things had happened at the party and if he had known that Selena had followed Nick into the office, he never would have said to Miley what he did.

Nick sighed and threw his keys onto the small table in the entryway. He then noticed that the lights were out in the whole apartment. He normally left the lamps on in the living room when he left the apartment for some light when he got home, but even those were off.

Nick slowly proceeded further into the apartment. He noticed the curtains in front of the large balcony fluttering slightly in the wind. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly in confusion. Who was in his apartment.

"Hello?" he called.

He continued towards the curtain and pushed it back. His face softened slightly at the sight before him. Selena had covered the balcony with rose petals and candles. She had set up a small table with dinner on it in the centre. She was sitting on the edge of the balcony with her legs folded and her soft, feminine hands resting on her knee. She was watching him with a sultry smile on her lips.

She got down from the edge of the balcony, revealing her dress. It was a sleeveless red lace dress with a low neckline and a high hemline. It was fitted, hugging Selena's body in all the right places. Her black stilettos added an extra three inches to her height. Her hair hung in lose curls. Her dark eye make-up and red lipstick made her look sexy. Only an idiot would deny that she looked amazing.

"Welcome home," she said, walking slowly closer to her husband.

"Um, hey, Selena," he said softly, meeting her halfway. "What's all this?"

"I decided I would cook us some dinner," she said, drawing circles on his chest through his shirt with her index finger. "I wanted to make up for how I acted before I left." She bit her lip and pressed herself closer to him. "I'm sorry, baby," she said, her voice low.

Nick cleared his throat and walked over to the table. "The meal looks awesome," he said in an attempt to change the subject from their fight to something that would probably not lead to them having make-up sex (which he was almost thinking about after seeing Selena in that dress).

"Thanks. I made Italian. I know it's your favourite. I even used your mom's recipes," Selena said. Nick heard her slowly walk up behind him. She placed a gentle hand on his upper bicep. "Let's eat," she said, smiling up at him.

Nick nodded and took a seat at the table. Selena sat down opposite him and watched him as he began to eat.

"Would you like some wine?" she asked.

He nodded slightly. Selena reached for the bottle of red wine she had out and poured Nick a large glass. She then poured herself one and took a sip. She put down her glass and lifted her fork.

"The apartment looks great," she said, trying to start up a conversation.

"Thanks," he replied.

Selena silently gathered herself before putting her sultry smile back on. She slowly began to rub her foot up and down his calf under the table. She saw him stiffen slightly and smirked to herself. She loved it when she got a reaction out of him.

"I missed you, baby," she said softly.

"I missed you too," he said stiffly.

Selena stood up and walked over to the balcony. "I _really_ missed you," she said, ignoring his reply to her first statement.

"I missed you too," he repeated.

"How much?" she asked, her voice low.

Nick looked up and saw her brown eyes watching at him, a particular sparkle in them. He shrugged. "A lot, I guess," he replied.

Selena smiled and hopped down from her perch on the balcony. She walked into the space between the table and the apartment and stood there. Nick watched her as she bit her lip and kicked off her stilettos.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"That's good," she said casually. She turned towards the entrance back into the apartment. "I'll be right back," she said over her shoulder before walking into the apartment.

Nick let out a deep breath. Selena looked amazing, he would never deny that. She looked beautiful, sexy, confident, radiant, all the things he loved about her. But despite how Selena looked, he couldn't get the image of Miley out of his head.

Nick's gaze moved from the sliding door between the balcony and the apartment to the city skyline over the balcony. The beautiful view was one of the reasons he had chosen the apartment, right after he had graduated from college. Miley had told him that one day, he would really appreciate how beautiful it was. That night, for no particular reason, he did.

"Nicky!"

Nick's head turned to where Selena had disappeared only moments ago. There she stood again, but this time, Nick was lost for words. His eyes widened.

There was his wife, standing in front of him, dressed in nothing but a red lace bra with a matching v-string. Her seductive smile was playing on her lips as she watched his reaction to her little surprise.

Nick gulped and stood up. Selena walked over to him and bit her lip. She reached behind her and unclipped her bra. She let it fall to the ground.

"Whoops," she whispered.

Nick closed his eyes. Before he could control himself, he picked Selena up, his lips on hers, and carried her inside.

The following morning, Selena woke up in her and Nick's bed to find herself alone. She smirked to herself at the memory of the previous night. If there had been another woman before, she was sure that she had gotten rid of any thoughts Nick had of her.

Selena wrapped herself in the sheets and padded into the living room. She noticed his keys were gone from the table in the entryway. She sighed to herself contentedly and walked into the kitchen.

Maybe, just maybe, her marriage was about to go back to normal, as if none of the drama about babies had ever happened.

Nick stood in the middle of the airport departure lounge, waiting to board his plane. He glanced at his watch. They were already running half an hour late.

After his night with Selena, he was filled with guilt over what he had done. Not only had he broken Miley's heart at the party, but if she found out about what had happened the previous night, she would never forgive him.

"_American Airlines Flight 31 to Honolulu is now boarding at Gate 70B._"

Nick stood up straight and headed towards his gate. He had no idea what he was doing. He was never the kind of guy to spontaneously go and find the girl he loved, but something about what he had with Miley had changed his whole perspective on love.

His night with Selena had made him realise that, no matter how much somebody means to you, they can never replace the one person that you are in love with, no matter how much you try not to hurt anyone and no matter how much you try to resist your feelings.

Another thing that he thought about as a result of what happened with Selena was that he loved Miley. He couldn't try and hide it. He couldn't try and act like his feelings weren't that strong. He felt that way, and there was nothing he could do about it.

**I had no school today so I worked on this chapter a bit :) What did you think? Reviews would be lovely :) I forgot to thank the people who reviewed Chapter 5 so I'm super sorry for that. Thanks to Niley23 Alex, xmileylovex, JuuhByMiley, nileyxtruexlove, RhondaAnn1, xxIMAGINEPEACExx, Team M, TheMsBrandy1, xNileyxBubblesx, lovetowrite07, thousandreasons and LaLaLax6 for your reviews on Chapter 6. (Put duck if your review again if you read the author's note). I really enjoyed reading them :) All your reviews make me smile. Oh, and sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Sometimes you sort of miss them out when you're checking, you know?**

**So, the next chapter will hopefully be up next weekend. If not next weekend then some time the following week, hopefully. I'm really enjoying writing this story. I've already got some ideas for later on in the story. Keep an eye out for about Chapters 12-15. They should (hopefully) be pretty exciting chapters. **

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading :) Review please? x**


	8. Chapter 8

The plane hit the ground. Almost immediately, the noises of phones going off sounded, despite orders to keep them off until the plane had reached the gate.

Nick glanced at his own phone as he switched it on. He had three texts from Selena, a missed call and five texts from Joe, an angry voicemail and text from Demi and a worried voicemail message from his mother.

Instead of listening to the messages and reading the texts, Nick went straight to his contacts and found _her_ number. He then put his phone to his ear and listened to it ring. He knew that the chances were that she wouldn't answer, but it was worth a try, wasn't it?

All he heard was her voicemail message.

"_Hey, you've reached Miley! Leave me a message and I'll get back to you._"

Nick took a deep breath and decided to leave a message. It couldn't do any more harm. After all, there was nothing worse that he could do to her.

"Miley, it's me. Listen, I don't really know what I'm doing here, but I'm in Hawaii. I figured you'd be here. You always said it was your favourite place." He smiled softly to himself. "I'm getting off the plane in a minute. Call me back when you get this. Please." Nick then moved the phone from his ear and hung up.

She would call. He knew she would. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had feelings for him. She had never in her life sent someone away who she had feelings for, whether she was mad and needed space or not.

Maybe she wanted to get away from him. That was fair enough. He just needed to see her. He needed to explain that what happened with Selena at the party wasn't what it looked like. Selena had kissed him, not the other way round.

He buried his face in his hands, remembering his night with Selena. It wasn't supposed to happen. All his frustration and anger and sadness over what had happened with Miley had just been building up all day, then Selena had done that for him and she was wearing that dress and he just couldn't stop himself.

He knew that what he had done was wrong. He knew that it made him a bit of a man-whore. He knew it probably made him seem like a bad person. But no one would ever understand why he did it. He didn't even understand it himself.

He took a deep breath. He had no clue how he was going to tell Miley, if he was going to tell her at all. He knew, knowing Miley, that she was going to blow up at him. He knew that she would just get even more upset. And the one thing he knew would most certainly happen, the one thing he knew would hurt him the most, was that Miley would almost definitely try and get revenge. She would try and make him feel exactly how she felt.

He knew he probably deserved everything she would give him, but that certainly didn't make it any better for him.

Once the plane had stopped and nearly everyone else was off the plane, Nick decided to stand up and get off the plane. He got through the airport as quickly as he could. He then stood outside the airport in the line for the taxis.

The woman in front of him saw him drumming his fingers impatiently on the railing. She turned around and smiled up at him. She was small and seemed to be getting older, no younger than sixty-five or seventy.

"Are you in a hurry, dear?" she asked.

"Sort of," Nick replied, looking down the line. He knew he would be waiting at least another half hour.

The woman's friend, a woman who looked around the same age as the other woman, turned around, intrigued by Nick's answer to her friend's question.

"Where are you hurrying to?" she asked.

"I have to find someone," Nick answered.

The first woman smiled. "A lady friend?" she asked.

Nick smiled to himself and chuckled. "Something like that, yes," he said. He took his phone out of his pocket and sighed. No messages from Miley, but three new text messages from Selena. He decided he may as well read them, as well as the previous ones.

"_I had a great night last, Nicky ;)_"

"_Where did you go this morning? Woke up and you were gone. I thought we could have gone for round two, baby_."

"_Nick, where are you? Come home_."

"_Nobody knows where you are. Call me_."

"_Nick, you're worrying me. Please just come home already. We need to talk about some things._"

"_Please call me as soon as you get this_."

He rolled his eyes and put his phone back in his pocket. The two women in front looked at each other, then back up at Nick.

"And so why are you looking for this girl here?" the second one asked.

Nick looked at the two old women. Maybe they were being a bit nosy, but at least somebody was actually asking him questions about Miley instead of Selena for once. Anyway, what harm could it do to open up to the two women? They were harmless.

"She left the other night. No one knows where she went. I guessed here would be a pretty good place to start," he said.

"Why here?" the first asked.

Nick smiled slightly. "We came here with some friends once. It's her favourite place in the world. When she's upset, she likes to go to her favourite places. I know she wanted away from home, so she would have happily come here," he replied.

"So you got a plane to Hawaii to find her?" the second asked.

Nick's face fell slightly. Hearing it come from someone else's mouth made it sound completely stupid. He didn't know what he had been thinking when he decided to fly out to _Hawaii_ to find Miley whenever she clearly didn't want anything to do with him.

He opened his mouth to speak, then quickly closed it, not quite sure what he had been planning on saying.

The first woman smiled up at him. "That, dear, is the most romantic thing I have ever heard," she said.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "It is?"

"What man as young as you would fly to Hawaii to find a girl? What man your age would even care enough to know she would probably be here?" the woman replied.

Nick smiled. "Thank you."

The first woman slowly headed up to the front of the line, her friend and Nick behind her. When she reached the front of the line, she stopped and spoke to the man at the front.

"Are you waiting for a cab?" The man nodded. "I'm sorry, dear, but do you mind if this man here takes the next cab? He's in a bit of a hurry, you see. It's quite important," she explained.

The man hesitated. "I'll pay you $20," Nick said quickly.

The man then nodded and stepped aside. Nick took out his wallet, but the man stopped him. "Keep your money," he said.

Nick smiled. "Thanks you," he said.

A cab then pulled up the the curb. Nick headed towards it. He suddenly stopped. "Thank you so much," he called to the man and the women. The women waved to him. The man smiled slightly. Nick then got in the cab.

He then realised he didn't know where he was going. For all he knew, he could be on the wrong island, never mind finding the right hotel.

"Take me to the Ilikai Hotel, please," he said to the driver.

The driver then put his foot down and the car moved from the curb. Nick looked out the cab window, watching the beautiful scenes as they went by. He had to admit, Hawaii was a beautiful place.

He didn't even know why he thought Miley would be at the Ilikai Hotel. Sure, they had stayed there the last time they were there, but that didn't mean Miley would be there. He wasn't quite sure why he assumed that she would be.

When they pulled up outside the hotel, Nick quickly paid the driver and sped into the hotel. He raced towards the front desk, quickly stopping himself before he slipped on the shiny marble floor.

"How can I help you, sir?" the woman behind the desk asked.

"I'm looking for Miley Stewart," he said.

The woman pursed her lips. "Does this woman know you're visiting?" she asked.

"No, it's a surprise."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's against hotel policy to allow someone up into a guest's room without the guest's permission," she replied.

Nick sighed. "Is she even staying here?"

"I'm afraid I can't give out that kind of information," she said.

Nick scoffed. "What, is that against hotel policy too?" he asked.

The woman took a sharp intake of breath. "I'm sorry, sir, but yes, it is. Unless the guest knows you are visiting or unless they have told you that they are staying here, I can't help you," she said.

Nick shook his head. "Whatever. If she comes down, I'll be over there," he said, pointing to a couch close the front desk. The woman just looked at him without saying anything before moving onto the next person in the line.

About three hours later, Nick was still sitting there. He had ignored about five calls from Selena, three from Joe, two from Demi and one from his mom. But still, however, no calls from Miley.

Nick sighed. He looked at the desk. The first woman's shift had ended about an hour and a half before. A man was now standing beside the desk. Nick decided to try his luck with him. It couldn't do any harm.

He walked over. "Sorry, dude, can you help me out? My ... I think my friend is upstairs and I'm here to visit here. I'm not too sure if she's staying here or not but we stayed here a few years back and she loved it so I was wondering if you could tell me if she's staying here? I know it's against the policy or whatever but please, you'd be doing me a massive favour," Nick explained.

The man hesitated, then looked at the computer. "What's your friend's name?" he asked.

"Miley Stewart."

The man typed something into the computer then started scrolling down. "Yes, sir, she's staying here. She has, however, asked not to be disturbed by any visitors that may come to see her," the man said.

Nick closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Listen, man. I'm in love with my best friend. I screwed up. She ran away. Now my best friend is right upstairs. If I don't fix this with her she will hate me forever," he said.

The man behind the desk stayed silent, then laughed loudly. "You're kidding right?" he asked. "That is such a cliché." He shook his head.

"I'm being serious," Nick said, his voice cold.

"And my mom is Dorothy out of the Wizard of Oz."

Nick glared at the man. "Listen to me, buddy. You tell me what room Miley Stewart is in right now or so help me God ..."

The man looked at Nick, slightly scared. "Sir, I need you to calm down or I'm going to have to call security to escort you from the building immediately."

Nick rested his elbows on the desk and sighed. "Man, please help me out here. I've been sitting in your damn lobby for the past three hours, waiting for her to come down. She isn't coming down. Please just give me one chance to see her. Five minutes. You can have someone take me up if you want. I just need five minutes with her. That's it," he said.

The man hesitated, then glanced at the computer again. "She's on the ninth floor. Room 974."

Nick looked up. "Thank you so much, dude." He grinned at the man behind the front desk and raced towards the elevator. As soon as he got in, his finger pressed the '9' button. The elevator doors closed and the elevator rose higher and higher.

The doors opened again and Nick literally sprinted down the hallway, glancing at doors to check the numbers. Near the end, he reached 974. He skidded to a halt and knocked on the door.

"Miley!"

No answer.

He banged on the door of the room. "Miley, answer the door!"

No answer.

"Miley, I love you."

There was a slight hesitation, then the door swung open. Miley glared at him, her hand on her hip.

"Don't you dare. Don't you _dare_ say you love me after what you did," she whispered.

"The kiss was a mistake, I told you. Please just hear me out. Selena kissed me. She thought I was singing to her and -"

"I'm not talking about your kiss. Selena called me," she said coldly.

Nick gulped. "Oh."

"Yeah. She told me _exactly_ what you were up to last night. In explicit detail, I'm afraid," she said, her eyes filling with tears at just the thought of Nick and Selena together.

Nick reached out to touch her hand, but she snatched it away.

"Don't fucking touch me," she snarled. "Don't even tell me that having _sex_ with her meant nothing to you as well. I'm not an idiot, Nicholas." She shook her head. "I don't want to be your little bit on the side any more. Did you know I was actually thinking of calling you about the kiss? Then Selena called me and told me everything about last night," Miley said.

"Mi, it wasn't like that, okay? I was just so frustrated over everything that was happening with you and -"

"What, so this is my own fault now, is it?"

"No, not at all, I just -"

"Go home, Nick. Just leave me alone and get on the next plane home. I don't want to hear this any more," she said. She went to close the door on him but he moved his foot between the door and the frame.

"No. We're going to talk about this," he said.

"There's nothing to say."

"Hear me out."

"Don't make me call security, Nick."

"I love you."

Miley stopped. "Don't say that," she whispered.

"Why not? It's true." He stepped closer to her and held her hand. "I love you." He placed a soft gentle kiss on her hand. "I love you." He then started caressing her hand softly. "I love you."

"Don't lie to me. You love Selena," she whispered again.

He smiled. She was beginning to soften towards him. "No," he whispered. "I love _you_." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll tell Selena everything, I promise. I'll fix this. I'll fix _us_," he said softly.

She pulled him into the room and closed the door. She sat down at the edge of the bed with him. "We can't fix this. We can't tell Selena. We can't do anything anymore. We're stuck like this," she said, her voice barely above the whisper she had been using before.

"We can move past this. We can tell Selena everything gently. We don't have to hurt her. We aren't stuck. Just let me fix this," he whispered. He kissed her hand again. "I can fix this. We can get married. We can have kids. We can live in the perfect little house in the perfect little neighbourhood, just like you always wanted," he promised.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Who says I can't keep them?"

She sighed and stood up. "And who says you can? This is already complicated enough. You're cheating on your wife with your best friend. You had sex with your wife after singing love songs about your best friend. Your wife thinks you love her as much she loves you whenever you just turn your back and tell me that you're in love with me," she said.

"It doesn't have to be complicated."

"And how do you suggest we move past it being complicated?"

"I'll tell Selena when I go home. I'll tell her that it has nothing to do with her, it's all me. I'll tell her calmly and rationally that I have feelings for you. She'll be upset, but she'll get over it. You and I can work on us. We have a simple, non-complicated relationship together. No wife for me, no ex-boyfriends showing up for you. It can just be you and me together," he said softly. He reached out for her hand and pulled Miley onto his lap.

"Nick ..."

"I love you. Nothing and nobody can change that. I want you. No one else. I'm so sorry about what happened with Selena. But we can move past it," he said. He intertwined their fingers and softly ran his thing up and down her index finger. "It can just be you and me, together forever."

"This isn't high school," she whispered. "Nobody's going to be together forever. Nobody's going to _believe_ that they'll be together forever."

"Maybe not." He smirked. "But that doesn't make me love you any less," he said.

Miley hesitated, then leaned her forehead against his. "And you promise me that you'll tell Selena when you get home?" she whispered. She rested her other hand on his chest and drew circles on his chest with her thumb.

"I promise," he whispered back.

"Okay," she replied.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

**HELLO :) Hope you liked the chapter. Reviews would be lovely, my dears :) Hopefully I'll have another chapter up next weekend. Most likely, there will be. I'm off for half-term not Monday and Tuesday coming, but the Monday and Tuesday after that.**

**Thanks to xmileylovex, Niley23 Alex, JuuhByMiley, thousandreasons (Never know what will happen to Selena ;D), TheMsBrandy1, xNileyxBubblesx (I try my best but it's a busy year for me at school), RhondaAnn1 (I actually love your reviews! They tell me exactly what you think. I love them :D), LaLaLax6 (Not sure. Maybe around chapter 18-20? Maybe longer. See, something big is going to happen some time around chapter 12-15, like I said, and I'm not quite sure when the whole like aftermath of that will be over, but we'll see. No less than around 18 chapters, though) and lovetowrite07. Your reviews meant a lot to me :)**

**I know this is a short chapter compared to the length of the last couple of chapters, but I was rushing to get this out for you all :) I'm afraid I also didn't spell check it or whatever. I completely fail at remembering to look over it. Forgive me for any mistakes :) Put chickens in your review if you read the full author's noteee :)**


	9. Chapter 9

A couple of days later, Nick and Miley's flight back to California had landed. They had spent a few days in Hawaii together by the pool and on the beach, just spending time together in public, something they were never able to do in California. They thought they may as well take the chance while it was there and so they decided to stay in Hawaii for a few days.

Nick and Miley stood together with their bags, hugging each other.

"I had an amazing few days," he whispered.

"So did I," she whispered back.

Nick pulled back from the hug and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll call you tonight and tell you how things went with Selena, okay?"

Miley nodded. "I'll be at the hotel if you need me," she said. She picked up her bag and backed away from Nick. "I'll see you later," she said, smiling. She blew him a quick kiss before turning on her heel and walking away from him.

Nick watched her walk, her hips swaying as she moved. He smiled to himself. In Hawaii, he had made a decision. He no longer cared if Selena hated him forever. He didn't care if their friends never talked to him again. He had Miley, and that was all that mattered.

Nick started to walk in the other direction, towards the other parking lot. He took out his phone and quickly dialled Joe's number.

"Yo, it's Joe."

"Hey, bro."

"Nick! Where have you been? Mom and Selena are panicking about you. Sel thinks you've jumped off a cliff," Joe said.

"I was in Hawaii."

"What the hell were you doing there?"

Nick smiled to himself as he took out his keys from his pocket. "I went to look for Miley and I found her there," he said. He tossed his bag into the back and got into the driver's seat. "Hang on two seconds, Joe. I just need to get my handset."

Nick reached over to the glove compartment and fumbled around until he found his handsfree handset. He set it up and started up the car.

"So you found Miley in Hawaii?"

Nick's smile grew bigger. "Yeah, I did."

"And you stayed there with her?"

"Yeah."

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Joe snapped.

"You knew about Miley and I, man. What's the problem?" Nick asked, frowning slightly.

"The _problem_, little bro, is that Selena thinks you two are back together. She's telling anyone who will listen to her that you two slept together last week. She was heartbroken when you disappeared. What are you going to tell her when you get home?" Joe said.

"About that ..."

"Don't even say it."

Nick ignored his brother's warning. "I'm telling her everything."

"You can't, Nick. This will ruin your marriage."

"My marriage is beyond repair. I don't love her anymore. I'm not looking for the same things in our relationship as she is. She wants kids with me. I just want to be with Miley. I know Selena will hate me, and I understand that, but I'm just not feeling it anymore," Nick explained.

"You can't just walk through the door and say, 'Sorry I disappeared, Sel. I was in Hawaii, fucking your best friend.' You're going to break her heart," Joe replied.

"First of all, Miley and I haven't had sex. She doesn't feel right having sex when we're still sneaking around behind Selena's back. Secondly, I'm not going to put my own happiness on the line just so Selena can have a husband who she loves. It isn't fair on anyone. I can't lie anymore, Joe. I need to tell her. This is killing me."

Joe sighed. "Do whatever you want, Nick. Call me when it's done. I'll need to tell Demi to go over there and talk to Selena," he said.

"I know you don't understand why, but it's for the best for everyone. I don't want Selena to have to live with me when I'll never love her the way I used to," Nick said softly.

"I guess I see where you're coming from. Look, man, I have to go. Demi wants to look at flowers for the wedding in a minute. Like I said, call me when it's done. Good luck, little bro," Joe said. He then hung up.

Nick sighed and put the radio on. 'Unfaithful' by Rihanna was playing. He rolled his eyes and drove straight on towards his apartment building. Of course that particular song would be on the radio at that particular moment in time.

He soon reached his front door. He went to put his key in the lock but the door swung open to reveal a dishevelled-looking Selena.

"Where the hell have you been?" she yelled.

Nick opened his mouth to speak, then closed it quickly. Selena hugged him tightly. Nick hugged her back, knowing it would probably be the last time his wife would even let him touch her. She pulled back and took his hand, pulling him into the apartment.

"I was worried sick," she said to him as she led him into the kitchen. She made them a cup of coffee each and sat at the kitchen counter. Nick stayed standing by the entrance into the small room.

"Are you not going to sit down, sweetie?" she asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Nick shook his head. "Sel, we need to talk about something. I have something to tell you," he said softly. He put his coffee down on the granite counter and looked into her soft brown eyes. He didn't know how he was going to be able to do it ...

"It can wait. I have something to ask you first," she said. She too put her coffee down and looked up at him with a grin on her lips. "What do you say to renewing our vows?" she asked, watching him for his reaction.

Nick's mouth opened slightly in shock. He had no idea what to say. Her idea had just ruined everything he had planned to say.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his reaction.

"We need to talk, Sel," he said, his voice close to a whisper. He rested a hand on the counter and looked up at her. She looked absolutely petrified. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew he couldn't back out now.

"I can't do this anymore."

She giggled nervously. "Do what, Nick?" she asked.

"This. _Us. _I think ... I think we should split up," he said gently, opening his eyes. He saw her face fall as her entire world crumbled around her. She held on to the counter to keep herself steady on her stool.

"W-What are you talking about? No, Nick. You're joking. Stop it. This isn't funny," she said nervously. Tears formed in her chocolate eyes as she watched his face. _He wasn't joking._

"I'm sorry. I just ... I've met someone else."

She allowed the tears to begin to fall. "Who is she?" she whispered. He stayed silent. "Who the fuck is she?" she yelled at him.

Nick looked at his feet. "It's ... It's Miley."

Selena froze. "M-Miley?" she whispered. She buried her face in her hands and broke down completely. It was bad enough that her husband was leaving her, but for their best friend? "When did this start?" she asked.

Nick again stayed silent, looking at his feet. Selena looked up, her eyes narrowed, and stared at her husband.

"When the fuck did this start, Nicholas?"

Nick took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Just after you left for your mom's," he answered.

"You've been cheating on me with _Miley_ since I left?" she asked.

Nick nodded. "I'm sorry, Selena."

"Like hell you are. If you were sorry it wouldn't have gone on as long as it did," she snarled. Selena stopped herself from saying anymore and took a few deep breaths. She wiped away her tears and straightened up. She smiled at him. "Luckily for you, I'm willing to forget this ever happened. We can just go on as normal, okay?" She stood up and brought her coffee cup to the sink to wash.

"Selena ... I'm sorry, but I love Miley," he said gently.

Selena's grip tightened on the edge of the sink. She stiffened and kept her back to him.

"That's what you think. You just think you love her, but you don't. This is just a phase, Nick. It'll be over before you know it," she said, more to convince herself than to convince him.

Nick shook his head. "This isn't a phase, Sel. I'm sorry. I just ... I don't love you any more."

Selena's breathing got heavier as the tears started to build up again. She took a deep breath and spun around on her heel to face him.

"You don't love her," she insisted.

"I'm sorry, Sel, I do."

Selena gripped the counter to keep herself steady as she felt herself get light headed. "Stop this, Nick. Stop it right now. This isn't funny any more," she whispered, staring at him as the tears started to fall again.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, shaking his head.

Selena sank to the floor, finally allowing herself to properly break down. She pulled her knees up and broke down into floods of tears, her sobs being the only noise heard in the kitchen. Nick slowly walked around the counter and went to help her up.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. She looked up at him, a disgusted look on her face, "You cheating little rat. Get out of my apartment. I want nothing to do with you. Never again." When he didn't move, she pointed to the door. "Out!" she screamed.

Nick slowly walked out of the kitchen and into their bedroom. He grabbed his suitcases and quickly stuffed some of his clothes and possessions into them. When he was done, he zipped up the suitcases and walked out of the bedroom. On his way to the front door, he hesitated. He then walked back to the kitchen and saw Selena curled up in the corner, sobbing.

"Goodbye, Sel," he whispered.

He didn't give himself the chance to see her reaction. Instead, he turned around and walked out of the apartment and down to his car. He stuffed his bags into the back seat and the trunk and got in. He started to drive around, before realising he had nowhere to go.

Nick pulled over about a mile away from their apartment and texted Joe to tell him he had told Selena. Nick then started driving towards Miley's hotel. He pulled into his usual parking spot outside and walked in.

He noticed two old women in the lobby in two armchairs. He heard distant chattering in the restaurant. He then looked up and saw Miley watching him from the front desk.

She smiled over at him. "Did you tell her?" she asked.

He nodded and walked closer to her. "I'm just back from telling her." He paused. "She completely broke down."

Miley bit her lip, looking as though she felt extremely guilty. "Does she hate me?"

He shook his head. "More me than you, don't worry. She'll get over it," he said softly.

"You also thought she'd get over it when you forgot to buy her a birthday present. Did she get over it? No. We're screwed," Miley said, worried.

"We are not screwed."

She looked at him. "Yes, Nicholas, we are." She hesitated.

"I take it you're not welcome back at the apartment?"

He shook his head. "I doubt she'll let me back in there for a long time."

"That's your apartment, though. Do you think you'll get to move back in at some point?"

Nick shrugged. "The least I can do for her is give her as much time as she needs to gather herself and move out." He looked at Miley and smiled. "I was hoping I could rent a room out here until I find somewhere else to go."

Miley nodded. "No problem. I'll check you in later on." She motioned for him to follow her and moved into the back room. He walked behind her. Together, they walked into her office. Miley sat on the desk and looked at him. "So that's it. You and Selena are done?"

"I guess so." He paused. "Did Demi say anything?"

Miley shook her head. "She had to go sort something out for the wedding with Joe as soon as she got here, but she said she'll call round later to talk about it all." Miley bit her lip worriedly. "Selena will tell her everything before I get the chance, won't she?"

Nick held Miley's hand and wrapped an arm around her. He placed a loving kiss on her hand. "Don't worry. Demi won't judge. Demi's known you for years. She knows you would never hurt somebody purposely. You're a good person, Mi. Demi knows that. She'll listen to both sides of it." Nick placed a soft kiss on Miley's forehead. "It will all be fine."

Miley looked into Nick's eyes. She felt her heart melt as she looked into his beautiful brown eyes, staring into hers, filled with sincerity.

"We'll be okay, won't we?" she whispered.

Nick smiled and leaned his forehead against hers. "We'll be just fine," he whispered back before slowly leaning in and kissing her.

Miley sat behind the desk, waiting for someone to arrive and check in. She had gotten Nick settled in his room and everything. She was just waiting for the next customer to come in.

Miley sat and stared at the painting above the fireplace. She remembered buying that painting. Nick was with her. It was before all the drama with Selena and before they had even thought about getting together. He had told her that the painting was beautiful and she would be a fool not to buy it.

Miley smiled at the memory. She was happy then. Before all the drama. But at that moment, all she felt was worry. Worry that she would lose Demi. Worry that Selena would never forgive her. Worry that things would all fall apart. Worry that the hotel would fail. All she had been feeling since the flight back from Hawaii had touched down was worry.

Miley heard the French doors at the entrance burst open. She looked up. Demi slammed the door behind her and stood there, one hand on her hip. Her face was filled with both anger and disappointment. Miley could only guess what Demi was so angry about.

"How could you?" Demi hissed.

Miley took a deep breath and prepared herself for the drama she knew was coming. "I take it you spoke to Selena," she said calmly.

"Damn right I did." Demi shook her head and walked closer to Miley. "I warned you. I _told _you to forget those feelings. Don't you see what you've done? Nick's marriage is over now. Selena's been left with a broken heart. I had to sit there with her in that kitchen for an hour, watching her cry her damn eyes out over that man. Over what you did with that man."

"It wasn't as bad as you make it sound," Miley whispered.

Demi laughed humourlessly. "It's not as bad? Like hell, Miley." Demi smiled slightly. "Did he tell you that he would marry you once this was all over? Did he tell you he loved you?" Demi laughed again. "Divorces can take months to go through. For all you know, he could be married to her years."

Miley narrowed her eyes. "Divorces don't necessarily take that long. In California it's a minimum of six months."

"Minimum being the operative word in that sentence."

Miley's eyes filled with tears. "Why are you being such a bitch about this?"

Demi turned and walked towards the door. Ignoring Miley's question, she said, "I warned you this would happen. I warned you that no good would come of this. You only have yourself to blame for all of this." Demi's hand was on the door handle, but she didn't leave. She simply stood there.

"Demi?"

Demi turned to face Miley again. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She took a step closer to Miley again. "You're beautiful. You're an amazing girl, Miles. You could have had any guy, but you chose him. Why?"

Miley shook her head. "I love him," she whispered.

"Selena loves him just as much, if not more."

"I can't help how I feel."

Demi wiped away her tears. "Maybe not. But you could have hidden it. You could have stopped it going too far. This has ruined a marriage." Demi paused. "All I want is what's best for you."

Miley smiled slightly. "He makes me happy, Demi."

Demi shook her head, a slight smile on her lips. "Maybe so. But he made Selena happy too. And that woman won't let him go easily. She's going to fight for him. She's going to make your life a living hell." Demi suddenly rushed closer to Miley and hugged her tightly. "You can change this, you know."

Miley pushed Demi away. "What's that supposed to mean.

"I mean, you can tell him you've changed your mind. You can tell him to go back to Selena."

Miley looked at Demi, disgusted. "Are you suggesting I put my happiness on the line for Selena's?" she whispered. Demi stayed silent. "I can't believe you. I thought you wanted what was best for me."

"I do. And Nick sure as hell isn't."

"Yes, he is actually."

"Trust me, he isn't. He has a wife who won't be willing to let him go too easily. He's getting divorced. This isn't going to just disappear. If you stay with him, your life will never be the same. You'll just be known as Nick's dirty little secret. You'll be known as the woman that ruined his marriage."

"I think you should go."

Both Demi and Miley turned to the source of the voice. Nick was standing at the entrance to the corridor to the rooms and elevator.

"Oh, it's you," Demi said.

"Well noticed," Nick said coldly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Seeing as I have nowhere else to go, I'm renting a room in the hotel until Selena sees it time to move out of my apartment. Problem?" Nick asked.

"Yes, actually."

Nick ignored her answer. "If you have any opinion on me leaving Selena, you can take it up with me, understand?" He walked closer and wrapped an arm around Miley's waist. "Now, unless you want to be pleasant towards us, I suggest you go."

Demi looked at where his hand rested on Miley's hip and glared at him. "You're ruining everyone else's lives. But as long as Nick is happy, that's all that matters, right? Never mind that you left your wife for your best friend. Never mind that your wife is more than likely going to go out and get revenge on Miley." Demi shook her head. "You don't know how happy Selena was that night you slept with her. She called all her closest friend and told them. She thought that it meant everything was okay between you two." She looked at Nick, disgusted. "But all you did was use her. You used her for sex then went running after Miley." She turned on her heel and walked towards the door. She turned her head and looked at Miley. "I say this as your best friend. You deserve better." Demi then through the door open and walked out.

Miley watched the space where Demi had once stood. Nick looked at his feet awkwardly. Miley slipped out of Nick's grasp and slowly walked over to one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace, where she slipped down into a chair and buried her face in her hands.

Nick slowly walked over to her and knelt down beside her armchair. He put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Don't listen to her," he whispered.

Miley looked up at him. She then stood up and stepped around him. "I'm going out. I'll be back in a few hours. Do you mind just watching the front desk for me?" She looked around and watched him. He stared at her in shock. She quickly turned around so as not to look at his expression again.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you. Out."

Nick rose to his feet and stepped in front of her. "You aren't going anywhere if you're going where I think you're going."

"Who's going to stop me? You?" She scoffed. "I'll see you later."

Nick grabbed Miley's wrist. "No, Miley. You can't fix this like you think you can." He sighed and looked down. "Just ... leave it to me." He glanced at her expression. "Yes, I know you were going to see Demi and Selena. Demi will come around. And as for Selena ... I screwed up, not you. Just let me fix it in my own time. The last thing she needs is to see you."

Miley sighed and buried her face in Nick's chest. She let the tears she had been holding in fall. "It's all just falling apart," she whispered.

Nick ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. "We'll sort it out. I promise you that." Nick lifted her chin with his index finger and smiled. "Forget about it for tonight."

Miley nodded and took a deep breath. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She then wrapped her arms around Nick's neck and pulled him down. "I love you," she whispered before putting her lips on his.

Soon enough, they were sitting in one of the armchairs, Miley laying across Nick, just talking. Nick was playing with Miley's hair as she talked about some of the crazy guests at the hotel.

"So this woman just came down to the front desk and goes, 'Where's my cat?' I was just sort of like, 'We don't allow pets in the hotel.' Then she just goes, 'WHERE THE FUCK IS MY CAT?' She scared me," Miley said.

Nick smiled. "You sure get some crazy people here."

Miley smiled back and kissed his cheek. "Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Demi will come around, won't she?"

Nick stopped playing with Miley's hair and looked up at her. He smiled slightly and kissed her forehead. "I don't see why she wouldn't." He paused. "Demi's been your best friend for years. She isn't going to drop you over something like this."

Miley bit her lip slightly and began to draw circles on his chest through his t-shirt using her index finger. "I love you."

"I love you too." Nick paused for a second, then grinned at her. "You know, we haven't had a proper first date yet."

Miley smiled. "We went out to dinner together every night in Hawaii."

"That didn't count."

"How did that not count?"

Nick's grin grew wider as he intertwined their fingers. "Because I didn't get to show you off to everyone I know then," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

Miley giggled. "Shut up."

Nick kissed her nose and leaned his forehead against hers. "How about I take you out on Friday night?" he asked.

Miley bit her lip again and nodded. Her eyes drifted down to his lips. "Sounds good," she whispered. She smirked. "You know, you're really hot." Miley slowly trailed a finger down his chest, resting it just above the waistband of his jeans.

Nick gulped slightly and smirked back at her. "You're not so bad yourself." Nick slowly began to lean in closer to her.

Miley suddenly jumped off of him and laughed. "Sucker," she said. She laughed again and walked behind the front desk, swaying her hips as she walked. Nick's eyes drifted to the hem of her denim skirt. He then lifted his eyes to the back of her head and smiled.

He was the luckiest man on earth.

**HELLO AGAIN :) Second update this weekend. I'm proud of myself. Again, I didn't read over it or anything, but I thought that you all deserved a second chapter, seeing as you've all been so good when it comes to reviewing this story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review and tell me what you think :)**

**So, I have a new story in the works. It's in the planning stages at the moment. Hopefully I'll begin writing it next weekend. The description is going to be either, "**_Three girls. Three boys. One summer._**" or _"_**_One summer can change everything._**" Hopefully you'll all like it :)**

**Thanks to thousandreasons, xmileylovex, RhondaAnn1 (Yeah, they're pretty close. Sorry if I didn't make that clear before. Miley's definitely closer to Demi and Nick, though), JuuhByMiley, Team M (Thank you so much, that means so much to me after reading all of your stories), TheMsBrandy1, LaLaLax6, xNileyxBubblesx and lovetowrite07. Your reviews all made me smile :)**

**Yeah ... So review if you liked it and tell me what you thought. Read the new story when it comes out :D**


	10. Chapter 10

Miley woke up lying in an unfamiliar bed. She opened her eyes fully and looked around. She smiled to her slightly when she realised where she was. She was in Nick's hotel room. He had his arm wrapped securely around her and he was fast asleep.

She gently slipped out of his grasp and crept over to where her phone was charging on the desk. She lifted it and saw that she had five new text messages and three missed calls. She sighed to herself. She always seemed to have texts and missed calls nowadays.

She looked at the texts. One from Demi, two from her employees, one from her mom and one from Joe.

_Joe wants to meet you two for lunch today. Don't want to be there but have to for Joe. Be at Lila's at 1. We won't wait long. Don't be late._

Miley sighed. She got that Demi was mad at her for first of all breaking up Nick and Selena's marriage (which technically wasn't true, seeing as Selena tore the marriage apart by demanding a baby) and secondly not listening to Demi when she warned her to stay away from Nick. But why did she have to be such a bitch over it. It wasn't even like any of it was affecting Demi. She was just a bystander in it all.

No longer wanting to think about Demi's spiteful behaviour, Miley moved on to read the other texts. A maid and a waitress were staying off sick. Miley sighed to herself and closed her eyes. Things were already going badly and she had been awake for about five minutes. She then scrolled down to her mom's text message.

_Miley, sweetheart, please call me soon. I haven't heard from you in a while and your father and I are worried about you. Even if you're too busy to call us, please just send us a text to let us know you're okay. I love you x_

She quickly typed in a message to her mom, telling her she was just busy with some personal things and that she loved her, before sending it and moving on to Joe's message. She wasn't quite sure that she wanted to know what he wanted to say after Demi's reaction, but she decided to read on anyway.

_I know everything. Don't worry, I'm not mad at **you**. I think we all need to sit down and talk about this before it gets out of hand any more than it already has. Meet Demi and I for lunch at Lila's at 1pm today. Hopefully we'll see you there. _

She tossed her phone down onto the desk and sank into the chair, a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe how scarily out of hand the whole situation had gotten. She had never intended anyone to get hurt. She just couldn't stop how she felt for Nick.

"Why now?" she whispered to herself.

"Why now what?"

Miley looked up and saw Nick sitting up in the bed, watching her. He had a worried expression on his face. His hair was messy from his sleep. Even if she was upset, Miley couldn't stop her eyes drifting to Nick's bare chest.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"It's clearly something."

"It's nothing." Miley turned in her seat, facing away from Nick. "We're going to lunch at Lila's at one," she said softly. She didn't dare mention the fact that Demi would be there, and Selena probably would too if it were down to Joe.

Nick nodded. "With other people or just us?" he asked.

"Joe."

"Is that such a good idea?" he asked, wincing slightly. He really wasn't in the mood for somebody else to tell him that all the drama with Selena was his own fault and that he had dug himself a hole and that his relationship with Miley was destined to fail.

Miley shrugged. "He invited us. It would be rude not to hear him out."

Nick rose from the bed and slowly walked towards Miley. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up from the chair. He looked into her eyes, searching for some sort of indication of what was wrong with her. He couldn't find any.

"What's the matter?" he whispered.

Miley faked a smile at him. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, Mi," he said, his voice still a soft, gentle whisper. He caressed the skin on her hip with his thumb and sighed. "I can't help you if you don't let me in," he said.

Miley paused. "Do you think ..." She sighed and looked down. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with sadness and despair. "Do you think we've done the right thing in getting together?" she whispered.

Nick watched her, not sure what to say. He couldn't quite believe that she had asked him such a question. He had, after all, ended his marriage to be with her. He had broken his wife's heart to be with her. He had put his whole life on the line, just to be with her.

"Of course we have."

"But what about Selena? What about Demi?" Miley wiped away a stray tear and sighed. "I've lost two people who mean the world to me, and for what? For you? For a boyfriend?" She shook her head. "Not all relationships end well. If we end up being over, what do I do? I will have lost you, Demi, Joe, Selena, everybody."

He smiled down at her and planted a loving kiss on her forehead. "You'll never lose me." He paused. "As for Demi and Joe ... just give them some time to calm down and clear their heads. They'll understand in due course."

"And Selena?"

Nick's face fell slightly at the mention of his wife's name. "Selena has every right to be angry or upset or whatever emotion she may feel right now. Maybe in time she'll move past all this. But right now, I think that both you and me need to give Selena some space and stay far away from her. We shouldn't case any trouble with her," he said.

Miley bit her lip. "That could be a slight problem," she said quietly.

He furrowed his brow, confused. He had no idea what Miley was talking about. "What do you mean?" he asked. He knew Miley would never start something with anyone, never mind Selena after what had happened.

"Well, you know that lunch Joe has invited us to? I think he may have invited Selena," she said. She continued before he could tell her they weren't going. "I think he just wants to sort everything out. We're all supposed to be friends. He just ... I don't think he wants everything to end the way it has."

Nick frowned slightly and sat down in the chair Miley had previously occupied. "I really don't think we should go if Selena's going to be there, Miley. It's hard enough for her to lose her husband, but to have to watch him with the woman he left her for would tear her apart." He looked up at Miley and sighed. "I know you want to fix this all, but we can't. Not yet. We just need to give everybody space to think about everything that's happened lately, you know?"

Miley sighed and walked towards the bathroom. "I refuse to let this get any worse than it already has. We're going to that lunch, Nick. I don't care what you say about giving Demi, Selena and Joe time. I'm not letting them think that I don't want to fix this. I just want this all to be fixed and finished with." Miley reached the bathroom door but didn't turn the handle. She instead stood still at the door, her hand resting on the door knob.

"Mi?" Nick asked softly. He rose from his seat and slowly walked over to where Miley was standing. He placed a gentle hand on her arm and turned her around to face him. When he saw her crying, he immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I can't lose them, Nick. I just can't," she sobbed.

Nick closed his eyes and rubbed her back soothingly. "I know, Miles, I know," he whispered calmly. He pulled her in closer to his chest, letting her sob onto his bare skin. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was a broken wreck.

When she had calmed down, Nick led her over to the bed and sat down beside her. He wrapped an arm over her shoulder and rubbed her arm with his thumb, keeping her calm. She looked up at him desperately.

"We aren't leaving it like this, Nick. I'm not going to stand by and let my friends think that I'm some sort of home-wrecking whore. We're going to that lunch and that's final," she said, standing her ground.

Nick looked down at her and sighed. She really wasn't going to give up on it. "You really want this sorted out today, don't you?" he asked. She nodded. Nick took a deep breath and shrugged. "I guess if you really want to go and see them and talk about all of this, we'll go."

Miley smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Nick," she said quietly. She then rose to her feet and looked around. She pulled off Nick's white v-neck t-shirt and pulled on her jeans and tank top. She slipped on her flip flops and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "I better get home and get ready."

Nick nodded and rose to his feet. He walked her over to his hotel room door and opened it for her. "I'll pick you up at your house at half twelve, okay?" he asked. She nodded. Nick leaned down and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. "See you then, gorgeous," he whispered.

She smiled up at him and turned on her heel. She started to walk down the hallway to the elevator. She waved over her shoulder. She moved as if she knew he was watching her (which, Nick knew, she probably did), swaying her hips as she walked down the hall.

Nick smiled slightly to himself and closed the door after her. He then realised what he had to do at one o'clock. His smile immediately faded away.

"Do I look okay?"

Miley had asked the exact same question eleven times since she had gotten into Nick's car. She checked her make-up for the fifth time in the fold-down mirror.

Nick sighed. "They won't care how you look today, Mi," he said softly.

She glared at him. "You clearly don't know Demi like I do," she replied.

Nick shook his head, too tired to argue with her. He really didn't feel like sitting down at a table with three people who hated his guts and trying to fix something that, chances were, would never be fully fixed. Miley's nerves didn't help anything. If anything, it had made him even more nervous of facing Selena.

He pulled up outside Lila's and took the keys out of the ignition. Neither of them moved. They just sat in the car in silence, both of them staring straight ahead. The only sound heard was their slow, steady breathing and the birds singing outside.

"Should we go in?"

"I'm scared."

Nick reached over and took Miley's hand in his. He squeezed it and smiled softly at her. In that moment, as he looked at her, he realised. None of what happened in the restaurant would happen later on. All that mattered was that he had Miley. All that mattered was that he was no happy with a woman.

"We'll be fine," he whispered.

Miley took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "We'll be fine," she repeated. She undid her seatbelt and went to open the car door. She glanced at him over her shoulder. "You ready?" she asked, picking up her handbag and placing it on her lap.

Nick nodded and opened his own door. He walked around the car and helped Miley out of the car. He took her hand again and squeezed it. Together, they walked into Lila's. No matter what happened inside, they would be fine.

When they entered, they saw Joe standing by the front door, waiting for them. When he saw them, he stepped forward and put on a smile for them. He gave Miley a hug. He then looked at Nick, not quite sure what to do.

Nick stuck his hand out to shake his brother's hand. Joe smiled and pulled his brother into a hug. It was as though he had realised that being angry wasn't going to bring Nick and Selena back together. Like he had realised that nothing was going to change Nick's mind.

"Hey, little bro," he said.

"Where's Demi?" Nick asked.

Joe hesitated slightly. "At the table." He bit his lip. "With Selena." He sighed. "She's angry, man. Really, really angry. Good luck over there," he said.

Nick nodded stiffly. Joe held out an arm for Miley. Miley slipped her arm around his and let him walk her to the table. Nick walked behind them in silence, deep in thought. Once or twice, Miley glanced back, worried about him.

When they reached the table, there was silence. Nick looked up from the ground and saw Selena and Demi sitting beside each other, glaring up at Miley and Nick.

"Joe, sit down," Demi snapped.

Joe raised his eyebrows at her bossiness, but sat down across from her, too tired to argue over something as petty as sitting down. He looked up at Nick and Miley and smiled at them. He glanced over at Demi and Selena sitting across the table from them and then back at Miley and Nick.

"You guys can sit in here with me," he said.

Miley slipped in beside Joe, her eyes never leaving Demi. Her hand, which was holding Nick's, led him into the booth beside her. Nick got comfortable and sighed. He noticed Selena watching him and drifted his gaze down to the menu in front of him. He really wasn't in the mood for Joe's idea to move past everything that happened.

"So," Demi said coldly. "You two came."

"Mhm."

Selena raised her eyebrows slightly. "I'm surprised," she said to Nick. "I thought you would have been in that little shithole that your little whore calls a house." She leaned back in her seat, proud of her hurtful comment.

"That's enough, Sel," Joe said quietly, glaring at her.

"You know what else I'm surprised about? I'm surprised that this little slut actually had the nerve to come here and even try and explain the fucked up thing she did when there's no excuse for stabbing one of your best friends in the back and sleeping with her husband," Selena snapped.

Miley took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about what happened. And for the record? I never slept with Nick," she said calmly.

Selena scoffed. "Like hell you didn't." Selena leaned forward, smirking slightly. "Don't you find it just a little bit funny that you actually had the nerve to sit there with me in Vegas when in reality you were fucking my husband behind my back?"

Nick slammed his hand down on the table, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed at Selena. Everyone jumped in shock. Nick _never_ got angry with _anyone_.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to her like that," he hissed.

Miley squeezed his other hand under the table. "Nick, it's okay," she whispered.

"No, Miley, it isn't. She can't talk to you like that just because of what's happened." Nick turned to Selena and shook his head. "Do you know why I married you in the first place?" He took her silence as a 'no'. "I married you because of the way you treated others. I married you because you treated everyone the same, no matter what they had or hadn't done." He shook his head. "What happened to _that_ Selena?"

Selena's eyes filled with tears. "Her husband cheated on her with his best friend. Two people who she trusted with her life stabbed her in the back," she whispered.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "Oh, stop the theatrics, Selena. I know you. I'm not falling for your tears." He shook his head. "If you want to start a load of drama with Miley and I, the door is over there," he said calmly.

Selena pursed her lips and sat back in her seat in silence.

Demi glared at Nick. "Don't talk to Selena like that. You're the one that cheated on her. You're the one that tore your marriage apart. _You_, Nick, are the one that changed everything." She shook her head, her fists clenched. "It's like you don't even regret what you've done to Selena."

"If I could change everything and make it happen differently, I would."

"You mean you never would have married Selena?"

"I never said that."

"But that's what you meant," Selena said quietly.

"I will_ never_ regret what happened between us, Selena. You were my life for years. I will never forget what you did for me. But if I could make all of this happen differently, I would change everything that happened," Nick said quietly.

Selena's eyes filled with tears, but this times, the tears were genuine. "Did you ever love me?" she whispered.

Nick reached across to touch Selena's hand but then decided that it would be best not to touch her and pulled back. "Of course I loved you. I would never have married you if I didn't," he said softly.

Selena wiped away her falling tears. "What changed, then? Was I not good enough?" Her eyes widened in horror. "It was the baby, wasn't it? I pushed you too hard with the baby thing and I pushed you away, didn't I?" she asked.

"It wasn't like that," Nick said quietly.

"What was it then?"

Nick tried to stop smiling but he couldn't keep it in. He took Miley's hand again and squeezed it tightly. "I guess I just fell in love with somebody else," he whispered. He looked at Selena again. "Sel, if I could make all of this happen differently, I would."

Demi glared at Miley. "What about you? At least I warned you this would happen. Thing is, you didn't listen to me, did you? You just went on and did it anyway." She shook her head. "I've never been so disappointed in you."

"I can't help how I feel, Demi," Miley whispered quietly.

Demi sighed. "None of us can, can we? But the rest of us manage to get through without screwing our best friend's husband, don't we? We all manage to get through life without screwing up relationships. We all manage to get through without breaking somebody's heart." Demi closes her eyes. "I warned you all of this would happen. I warned you that it would all fall back on you."

"I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry, Demi. I couldn't handle acting like I didn't like him when the truth was that it killed me to _not_ be with him," Miley said.

"Cut the bullshit. There are people who have lived their whole lives without the one they love because the one they love is with somebody else. You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Honestly, no, I couldn't. What was I supposed to do? I was hardly going to hide how I felt just to keep somebody else happy. Do you have any idea how happy he makes me? How much I love him? No, of course you don't. You never even gave me a chance to explain all of this, did you? You just thought it was automatically the wrong thing to do, all because Nick was married. Guess what, Demi? It's nothing to do with you. The only way it would do anything to harm you would be if it had been Joe and not Nick. But it wasn't Joe. It wasn't your boyfriend I fell in love with. I just ... I don't understand why you're so upset with me when you never even gave me a chance to explain all of this," Miley said.

Demi stayed silent. She watched Miley with tears in her eyes. For once in her life, Demi was speechless. It slightly surprised Miley that her words had been powerful enough to make Demi go speechless.

Demi nodded. "Fine. Explain."

"I love him."

"Not good enough."

"I couldn't control how I felt. Nick and I fell in love. I couldn't handle not telling him what was happening with me. We kissed. Neither of us could stop feeling the way we did. I'm sorry it worked out the way it did, but we couldn't control it."

Demi hesitated, then nodded. "We'll talk later," she whispered to Miley.

Miley nodded her head to led Demi know that it was okay with her before looking down at the Diet Coke Joe had ordered for her before had arrived.

Joe cleared his throat and sat up straight in his seat. "Selena? Anything to say to Miley?" he asked.

Selena's eyes narrowed as she watched Miley. Her eyes were filled with such hatred and loathing. Miley never knew that somebody could look at somebody who used to be their best friend with such distaste.

"I have a million and one things I would like to say," Selena said quietly. "None of which I can say, seeing as _my _husband sees her as God's gift to man." Her voice was so cold and hostile.

"Go ahead," Nick said stiffly. "Don't let me stop you being a bitch."

Demi rolled her eyes. "Oh, will both of you stop being so immature? Selena, say what you have to say and get it over with. It will help you." She glanced at Nick. "And as for you, why don't you try being pleasant for five minutes?"

Nick leaned back in his chair and watched Selena as though he hadn't heard Demi. He watched Selena, waiting for what she was going to say.

Selena was silent for a few moments, then she spoke. "I trusted you. I thought that whatever was going on between you and Nick was innocent." She hesitated. "The day I married him, you came into the back room with me to help me get ready. Do you remember that? I asked you if you had ever had any feelings for Nick. You told me you didn't." Selena narrowed her eyes slightly, examining Miley. "Was that true? Or did you just lie to me?"

"That was years ago, Selena."

"Was it true?" Selena asked through gritted teeth.

Miley closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was true at the time, yes," she whispered.

"And when did it become a lie?" Selena asked calmly, her voice cool and quiet as if she was no longer angry. Everyone knew, however, that no matter what way Selena's voice, she would be angry for a long, long time.

"A month or two ago, when you left Nick."

"So I leave and you see that as some sort of green light for fucking my husband, do you?" Selena asked sharply.

"Of course not! It wasn't like that in any way. I have never in my life slept with Nick, and I certainly didn't see you leaving as any indication to go after Nick. It just ... happened. No one planned it," Miley replied.

"Nobody stopped it either though, did they?"

The booth was silent as everyone thought about the point Selena had made. True, no one had planned on Nick and Miley getting together. No one had planned that Nick would cheat on Selena with his best friend. But no one had made _that_ much effort to stop it either. Sure, Nick and Miley had tried to move past it, but they didn't try that hard. Sure, Demi had told Miley to let her feelings go, but she didn't check up or make sure that Miley had definitely given up on Nick. Sure, Joe knew about everything with Nick and Miley, but he didn't tell them to stay apart. No one had ever thought that maybe, just maybe, they could have tried a little bit harder to stop the revealing of the secret being so destructive.

Selena smiled slightly, knowing that she was right. "That's what I thought," she whispered. She got up, ready to leave, and began to walk towards the door.

"Selena, wait!" Demi called.

Selena turned around and face the four in the booth. "For what? For my husband to come back to me? That sure as hell isn't going to happen. He made that pretty clear. Didn't you, Nick? What exactly am I supposed to _wait_ for Demi? My husband's in love with someone else. One of my best friends is with my husband. You and Joe are clearly going to side with them so obviously I'm going to lose you. So tell me, Demi. What am I waiting for exactly?"

Demi stayed silent. She looked down, afraid to meet Selena's gaze.

Selena shook her head. "None of this was ever going to work out. You're his friends, not mine. Nick and I weren't meant to be together. We never were. We just thought we were. I suppose in a way, all of this worked out for the best. But you know what? I'm done. Nick, you can come and get the rest of your stuff whenever you need it. Call first though. I don't want to be there when you do." She turned on her heel. "Goodbye." She then walked across the restaurant and out into the parking lot.

Demi buried her face in her hands. When she looked up, she looked at Nick. "I hope you know badly you've broken her," she whispered.

Nick nodded and sighed, watching as Selena's car pulled away and went down the street. "I know," he whispered back. He turned and looked at Miley. "You ready to go, Mi?" he asked.

"We haven't even eaten yet," said Joe.

Miley shrugged. "It's okay, Joe. I've kind of lost my appetite." She gave Joe a quick hug and smiled at him softly. "I'll call you." She slipped out of the booth with Nick. She glanced at Demi. "Bye, Demi," she said with a slight smile playing on her lips.

Joe and Demi rose from the booth as well. Joe tossed a twenty onto the table to cover their drinks. The four of them walked out into the parking lot. When they reached Nick's car, they all stopped walking, not quite sure how to end things.

"Um, Miley, do you mind if I talk to you for a sec?" Demi asked.

"Oh, eh, sure, Dem," Miley said, glancing at Nick.

He smiled at her, signalling to her that she should go. Miley followed Demi to the door of the restaurant where there was a bench for people waiting for a taxi. They sat in an awkward silence for a moment.

"Look, Miley, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"I can't not worry about it. I acted like a bitch. You were right, it was none of my business. It wasn't affecting me. I should have just stayed out of it. I just didn't want you to get hurt, you know? You've been my best friend for so long. You've looked after me. You've told me things guys were hiding from me. You looked after me when I was drunk and throwing up in my bathroom. You covered for me that whole summer after Joe and I started going out. I really appreciate all you've done for me. I just wanted to return the favour and look after you for once. I guess I didn't realise that in looking out for you, I was pushing you further and further away. For that, I'm so so sorry. I completely understand if you never forgive me for how I acted it. I just ... I don't even know why I was so angry. I guess I thought that it would all end in tears and I just wanted to protect you from that," Demi said.

Miley smiled and squeezed Demi's hand. "Thank you, but I'm a big girl, Dem. I can look after myself." Miley took a deep breath and smiled again. "I love him, Demi. Maybe it's hard to understand why Nick and I did what we did, but we did it out of love. His marriage was falling apart long before I came along. He and Selena had chemistry, yes, but we could all tell that it was fading by the end of it. I was there for him when he needed me and I guess that just turned into something more. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I really did try. I just couldn't not be with him when I felt the way I did." She sighed. "I know I've probably ruined Selena's life, but I hope that some day, she'll understand why all of this happened. If I could change how Nick and I got together, I would. I would make sure that nobody would get hurt. But I can't do that. In the end, somebody is always going to get hurt. I guess that in this case, it just happened to be Selena."

Demi bit her lip. "And you really love him, yeah?"

Miley nodded. "More than anything on this earth, Dem," she whispered.

Demi shrugged. "Then I guess I can't change that." She leaned over and hugged Miley tightly. "I'm so sorry for the way I acted. I never should have treated you the way I did over something as stupid as this. You're my best friend. I should have trusted you and I should have known that you would make the right decision for you," she said.

"It's fine. Seriously, don't worry about it. It's over now." Miley squeezed Demi's hand again. "You're my best friend, Dem. No matter what's happened over the last few weeks, you always have and always will be my best friend. Nothing will ever change that. Not Nick, not Selena, not Joe. Nothing and no one will ever change the fact that you are one of the most amazing people I have ever met."

Demi giggled. "You're not too bad yourself, madam," she teased.

The two girls stood up and walked back to Joe and Nick, arm in arm, skipping over to the cars. Joe and Nick were leaning against Nick's car, talking and laughing about something. When Nick saw Miley coming, his eyes lit up.

Demi noticed the way Nick's eyes and entire face lit up at the sight of Miley and smiled to herself. She stepped over to Nick and gave him a hug.

"Love her more than any man ever has or ever will," she whispered into his ear. She pulled back from the hug and smiled at him. She squeezed his hand to let him know that she was okay with everything and stepped back from him.

"I already do," he said to her.

Demi smiled at him and nodded. "Keep it that way." She turned to Joe. "You ready to go home, Joe?" she asked. She slipped her hand into his and smiled.

Joe smiled and nodded. "Let's get you home, Dem," he said.

As Demi and Joe were walking away, Demi turned around and grinned. "I almost forgot!" she called. "Miles, I'm going shopping next Friday for my wedding dress and for the bridesmaids dresses. Do you want to come?" she asked.

Miley grinned back at Demi. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!" she called back.

Demi smiled and turned around. She and Joe began to walk again towards their car with Joe's arm slung casually over Demi's shoulders and a bright, happy smile on Demi's face. The two got into their car and pulled out of the parking lot, beeping their horn goodbye just as they pulled out.

Nick smiled at Miley and slipped his hand around hers. "At least you have Demi back," he said optimistically.

Miley smiled and nodded. Her face then fell slightly. She sighed. "Now all I have to do is get Selena to understand everything," she said quietly.

**Hello :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Right, so remember how I said the drama would start in like Chapter 12? It's starting a chapter early. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE BIG. It shall be awesome ;) Ha, probably not, but it's like going to be the centre of the rest of the story. Tell me what you think will happen :D I'd like to hear what you all think. Don't forget to review this chapter. I was quite proud of it. I personally think it was good to see how much the split affected Selena. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'd appreciate it if you all reviewed and told me what you all thought ;)**

**It would also mean a lot to me if you all went over to my new story, **That Little Blue Door**, and read and reviewed the first chapter. That would mean a lot to me ...**

**Thanks to nileyxtruexlove, JuuhByMiley, xNileyxBubblesx, xImASmilerx, LaLaLax6, xxIMAGINEPEACExx, skatergurl2789, xmileylovex (Don't worry, she doesn't end up pregnant, haha), RhondaAnn1, TheMsBrandy1, Team M and lovetowrite07 for your reviews on Chapter 9. Much appreciated x**


	11. Chapter 11

"You invited _her_?"

Demi sighed at Selena. "Sel, she's been my best friend since I was a kid. I can't _not_ invite her. Anyway, she's one of the bridesmaids. She needs to get her dress for the wedding," she said softly.

"You seem to forget that she's the reason my marriage fell apart," Selena hissed. She buried her face in her hands. "I thought I made it clear that I never want to see either of them again. If she's coming then I'm not, Demi."

"Don't make me choose between you two. You know that it will always be Miley."

Selena stood up. "I guess I won't be coming with you to get your dress then, will I?" She went to walk out of Demi's apartment, but turned around. "I thought you were on my side? Days ago you were telling me that you thought that they had been so stupid and that Nick didn't know what he lost. You told me that you agreed that Miley didn't deserve him."

Demi sighed. "Don't twist my words, Selena. I told you that I was angry at them too. I told you that I thought that they had been stupid to let it get this far. I never said Miley didn't deserve him," she said. She hesitated, then continued. "You weren't around in high school, so I understand how you don't see what Nick and Miley have. But when we were growing up, everyone saw it. He was her first everything. Her first friend, her first kiss, her first -" Demi stopped herself and looked away.

Selena's eyes widened in horror. "No. They didn't. He told me he didn't sleep with anybody before we got married," she whispered.

Demi shrugged. "Neither of them wanted to remember it. It was at the start of senior year. They both got drunk at a house party and I guess it just happened." She sighed again. "Sel, Nick and Miley have spent their whole lives together. Nothing major has happened to one of them without the other being by their side. Personally, I don't think you should be so shocked that it happened. Everyone saw it coming for years. When he married you ... I guess even his parents were shocked that it wasn't Miley he was marrying. His mom, the one person who knows him better than anyone, was surprised that he proposed to you when he had always had so much chemistry with Miley." Demi shook her head. "I'm sorry that things happened the way they did, Selena, but what were they supposed to do? Everyone except Nick and Miley themselves has known for years that Nick's been in love with Miley. Maybe the way they got together wasn't exactly the best way for it to happen, but think about it this way. Would you rather your husband be with a woman he loves or spend the rest of his life with a woman who he _thinks_ he love?"

Selena narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"Answer the question."

"Frankly, if it meant I still had my husband, I'd rather he spend his life with a woman who he thinks he loves, if that woman is me." Selena shook her head. "Demi, Nick and Miley had their chance. He would never have married me in the first place if he didn't love you."

"Would you rather spend the rest of your life with him, always coming second best to Miley?" Demi asked.

"That isn't fair," Selena whispered.

"Really? I think it's perfectly fair to ask such a question. You want him to spend the rest of his life with you. Fair enough, you married him. But would you rather be married to a man who's unhappy all the time because he never married the woman he was truly in love with, or would you rather wait and find someone who loves you and only you?" Demi said.

"Nick loved me. He only loved me."

"You can tell yourself that all you want, sweetie, but you know more than anybody that it isn't true. You know he's always felt something for Miley." Demi hesitated. "Sel, I'm not saying any of this to hurt your feelings. I'm trying to tell you that how ever upset you are, there's little reason to be. Sure, you should be upset that they went behind your back. I'd be surprised if you weren't. But really, Selena, you shouldn't be shocked that they ended up together." She stood up and walked over to the shelves against the far wall.

"What are you doing?" Selena asked.

"I need to show you something," Demi said softly. She pulled a box off the shelf and carried it over. She set it down on the coffee table and took the lid off the box.

Inside the box were everything from disks to pictures to old movie tickets and receipts.

"What is this?" Selena asked.

Demi smiled slightly as she ran her finger across a picture. "This," she whispered. "is Joe's and mine. It's our memory box from when were growing up." Demi lifted a picture and handed it to Selena. "See that picture?" Selena nodded. "Do you know where that was taken?"

Selena looked up. "Sure I do. That's Nick's parents' back yard."

Demi nodded. "And do you see who's in that picture?"

Selena stayed silent for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was soft and fragile. "Nick and Miley."

Demi nodded again. "That was Nick's ninth birthday party." She smiled to herself. "That was the day Joe fell out of their treehouse and broke his arm." She sighed. "What I'm trying to say, Selena, is that, even at nine years old, Miley was the centre of Nick's entire existence. Even then, she was his whole life." She pointed at the picture. "See how he's looking at her? Even at nine years old, he was in love with her."

Selena threw the picture down of the coffee table. "They were nine then. They didn't know what love was." She laughed humourlessly. "He never loved her. He married me. He loved _me_."

Demi smiled at her friend sympathetically. "Honey, you can tell yourself that all you want, but telling yourself he loved you more than he loved her will drive you insane. If you keep talking like that, you'll wonder what you did wrong and what you could have done to save your marriage. The truth is, Sel, your marriage was breaking before Miley even came into the picture." She took another picture. "See this one? This was our high school prom. Miley went with Jake, Nick went with Macy." She smiled slightly. "Even though they both had dates, they spent most of the night together. She told me that she wasn't going to spend one of the most memorable nights of her life away from her best friend." Demi looked up at Selena and smiled. "I know you're angry about everything that's happened over the last few days, but look at the two of them in that picture. He loved her from the very first day he saw her. Maybe he didn't realise it until now, but everyone else did."

"_He doesn't love her_," Selena said through gritted teeth.

Demi took a disk from the box and walked over to the television. She put the disk in the DVD player and waited. She then turned and took her seat beside Selena again. "Once you watch this, I'm pretty sure that you'll believe me," she said softly, touching Selena's hand supportively.

Selena stood up angrily. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you trying to prove that he loves her when he doesn't. This is just a phase he's going through, okay? Once he realises that he doesn't love her, he'll come back to me." Tears welled in her eyes. "He _will_ come back to me. I know he will."

Demi reached out and held Selena's hand. "Sweetie, please listen to me. You'll drive yourself crazy if you keep saying he'll come back. Honey, you know that Nick isn't coming back." She pulled Selena back into the seat and smiled. "I think you need to watch this video. I think it will make you see. Maybe it will make you understand." Demi reached over and pressed the play button on the remote and the DVD began to play.

_Miley's loud laugh filled the room. "Nick, stop it!"_

_Nick grinned cheekily at the brunette on the grass beside him. "Never!" He kept on tickling her, making her kick and scream, causing people from across the park to stare at them disapprovingly._

_Joe poked his brother in the back. "Dude, pass me a drink."_

"_Get your own drink," Nick replied._

"_I'm lying down."_

"_I don't care." Nick turned to Miley. "How was your week?"_

_Miley sighed. "It was okay, I guess. Jake and I broke up ... again." She closed her eyes and lay back on the grass. "I think he cheated on me again. Probably with one of the cheerleaders ... again." She inhaled deeply. Jake cheating on her with cheerleaders had become somewhat of a regular occurrence._

_Nick's eyes softened as he looked at her. "He doesn't deserve you, Mi," he whispered softly._

Demi paused the DVD and looked at the screen. "See how he's looking at her?"

"So what? Any good best friend will tell someone that if somebody just cheated on them. It's, like, best friend _code_," Selena said. She sighed. "Dem, I get it. He wants her, not me. But I just ... I want to feel like he loved me. Like he _ever_ loved me. Is it so bad to tell myself he'll come back? Is it so bad to want to feel loved by my own husband?"

Demi hugged her supportively. "I'm sorry, Selena. I just ... I don't want you to feel angry at them. I mean, it's easy to understand why you are. It's just that, to me, I know that they would have changed the way all of this happened if they could. I know you're upset and angry and you just don't want to see them, but please just try and put this behind you. You can't change what's happened. Being angry isn't good for you. Just try and be civil. Try and move past all of this," she said.

"It isn't that easy. I can't just move past the fact that my husband cheated on me," Selena whispered.

Demi squeezed Selena's hand. "But you can be elegant. You can be nice to both Nick and Miley and just not get into arguments with them." She paused. "Please, Sel. At least for when we go dress shopping. I really want you there. You've become one of my best friends since college. I really want you to be a part of this."

Selena hesitated then sighed. "Fine, I'll come. But I refuse to speak to her unless I'm spoken to."

Demi smiled. "As long as you come, I'm happy."

"If she says anything to you, just call me and I'll be there."

Miley giggled and squeezed Nick's hand. "Sweetie, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl now. I can look after myself." She planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I love you."

Nick smiled and kissed her forehead. "I love you too." He sighed. "Seriously though. She needs to move past all of this. If she says anything just call me or something." He hugged her tightly. "I just want all of this to end."

Miley pulled away and smiled. She picked up her keys and started walking towards the door out of her office. "I know, I do too." She opened the door and waved at him. "I'll be back around eight tonight, okay? Demi and I are going out for dinner after we get her dress," she said.

Nick nodded. "I'm going over to watch the game at Joe and Demi's place anyway." He walked over to her and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll see you at your place tonight then?" he checked.

Miley smiled and nodded. "See you then." She kissed him one more time before grabbing her coat and bag off the hanger beside the door and walking quickly out of the office to meet Demi and the girls.

She got into her car in the staff parking lot and quickly drove across town to the mall where Demi was going to look for her dress. Miley pulled into a parking spot across the street and walked as quickly as she could in her heels over to the mall.

Luckily, the bridal store was quite close to the door so Miley was in the store soon after she parked. She saw Demi and her sister, Dallas, sitting on a couch in the corner. There were about three other girls with their backs to Miley.

Miley walked over and smiled. "Hey, guys," she said.

Demi stood and hugged Miley tightly. "Hey, Miles." She pulled back. "You remember my sister Dallas, right?" Dallas waved up at Miley, smiling. Miley waved back. Demi then turned to face the girls that had their backs to Miley. "These are my friends from work, Kelly and Charlotte. And obviously you know Selena."

Kelly and Charlotte smiled and waved at Miley. Miley looked at Selena. Selena glared at Miley, her eyes filled with loathing and coldness. Miley quickly looked away from Selena, not in the mood for a big blow-out with her.

One of the store workers walked over with a tray of six glasses of champagne. "Hello, ladies. My name is Jenny. I'm going to be helping you today." She smiled and held out the tray. "Champagne anyone?" Each woman took a glass of champagne. Jenny put down the tray. "So, what sort of dress are you looking for?" she asked Demi.

"Well, I was kind of going for a kind of fairytale wedding, so maybe something like that?" Demi replied.

Jenny nodded and walked into the back room, letting the door swing shut behind her. Demi stood up and walked over to a dress on one of the mannequins. It was a less traditional wedding dress. It reached the knee and was sleeveless. It was more like a normal summer dress than a wedding dress.

"This would be kind of nice if it was longer and was strapless," she said to nobody in particular.

Dallas giggled. "Basically you'd like it if it was a completely different dress then?" she asked.

Demi grinned and shrugged.

Jenny returned minutes later, carrying three dresses. She hung them up on a metal rail and handed the first one to Demi. "Try this on," she said.

Demi went into the changing room and returned moments later, wearing the dress. As beautiful as it was, it wasn't really Demi's style. It had a scoop neckline and had a satin sash tied in a bow around the waist. The dress was made of satin and lace and had a long train behind it.

"It's nice," Selena said. She put on a smile, even though she clearly didn't like the dress. The real reason she didn't like the dress, however, was that it was similar to her own wedding dress. At that particular time, she really didn't want to be reminded of her own wedding dress.

Dallas looked her sister up and down. "I don't think it's really your style, Dem," she said. She stood up and walked around Demi. "No, it just doesn't seem like something you would wear. It's too ... I don't know. Too modest, maybe."

Demi nodded, agreeing with her sister. "I don't think it's very me either, to be honest." She looked at herself in the mirror and turned. She then shook her head. "No, I don't think this is the one." She turned around and walked back into the changing room, returning moments later wearing another dress.

The strapless dress was white. It went out at the waist. It was quite like the dress Danielle, Joe and Nick's brother Kevin's wife, had worn on her wedding day. Demi looked at herself in the mirror and frowned slightly.

"I love this dress, don't get me wrong. It's just ... it doesn't feel right. Like, you know how people say you can just tell when a dress is right for you? This one just doesn't feel like the one I should be wearing on my wedding day, you know?"

Miley nodded. "You look amazing in it, but if you don't feel comfortable in it then you shouldn't choose it."

Selena scoffed, unable to hold it in. "What the hell would _you_ know about wedding dresses? It's not like you've ever worn one. All you do is work in that crappy little hotel of yours," she said.

Miley closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I never said that I did know anything about wedding dresses. And as for your comment on my hotel, it's more of an accomplishment than you've ever achieved. I believe your big career was spending all of _Nick's_ money, wasn't it?" she replied.

Selena rolled her eyes. "Yes, Miley, that's mature. Why don't you bring _my_ husband into this?"

Miley opened her mouth to speak but Demi raised her hand to stop her. "Stop fighting now. We're looking for my wedding dress today. Whatever problems you two have to talk about, you can do it later. Today we're focusing on finding the perfect dress for my wedding." Demi then turned on her heel and walked back into the changing room.

Moments later, she reappeared wearing another dress. The strapless Grecian style dress was beautiful on Demi. It had an empire waistline with an embroidered trim wrapped around the waist. The dress was draped with soft silk chiffon. Her dark skin brightened the white dress.

Demi looked in the mirror and smiled.

"Demi, you look beautiful," Charlotte said.

Kelly nodded. "Sweetie, you look absolutely amazing. Joe would die if he saw you in that dress," she said.

Demi smiled and hugged them. "Thank you," she said softly. She turned to Miley, Dallas and Selena. "What do you guys think? Do you like it?" she asked.

Miley smiled softly and hugged Demi tightly. "Dem, you look gorgeous in that dress," she whispered.

Selena smiled. "You look stunning," she said.

Demi looked at Dallas expectantly, waiting for her big sister's approval. Dallas wiped away a tear and grinned. "You look enchanting, kiddo. Joe won't know what hit him," she whispered, hugging Demi tightly.

Dallas and Demi had always been close. Dallas had practically raised Demi. Their mother had died of cancer when Demi was seven and their dad was always out working, so Dallas had always been like a mother figure to Demi.

Demi looked into the mirror and smiled, nodding to herself. "This is the one," she whispered. Demi then turned and walked back into the changing room. When she returned in her own clothes, she handed Jenny the dress and grinned at her. "I'll take it," she said.

Jenny walked into the back room and returned moments later with the dress in a carrier. She smiled at Demi. "Would you like to take it now or would you like to come back at another time?" she asked.

"Could I come back for it in a couple of hours? We're going to do some more shopping around the mall first," Demi said.

Jenny nodded. She wrote Demi's name on a PostIt note and stuck it onto the dress carrier. "Just tell whoever's working whenever you come back that you reserved a dress with Jenny. They'll help you pay for it and everything," she said.

Demi nodded and smiled. "Thank you so much," she said. She then led Miley, Selena, Dallas, Kelly and Charlotte out of the shop and out into the mall. "I was thinking maybe we could go for a drink and then go look for the bridesmaids dresses," Demi said.

Kelly looked at her watch. "Actually, Dem, Charlotte and I have to go. We're meeting some friends for an early dinner and then we're going out to a club opening later on." She hugged Demi tightly. "I'm so glad you found your dress. You look amazing in it."

Charlotte hugged Demi as well and smiled. "I'll talk to you at work tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day," she said.

Charlotte and Kelly then turned around and walked away in the opposite direction to Dallas, Demi, Miley and Selena. The girls watched as Charlotte and Kelly walked out the main door of the mall.

"You girls up for a drink?" Demi asked.

The other three nodded and followed Demi into Demi's favourite bar at the mall. Demi walked up to the bar and said, "Hi. Can I have one Piña Colada, one Margarita, one Cosmo and a Sex on the Beach, please?"

She paid the bartender and walked over to a booth in the corner (her favourite booth, of course). She slipped in and pulled Miley in with her. Dallas and Selena slipped in on the other side.

"I'm so excited for the wedding now," Demi said excitedly.

"It's going to be amazing, Dem. I'm so happy for you," Miley said, smiling at Demi.

"Oh, you're happy for somebody else getting married? Hopefully you don't steal _Demi's_ husband," Selena muttered.

Demi glared at Selena. "Selena, stop it now. Remember what we talked about?"

Selena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I remember it. That doesn't mean I have to agree though, does it?"

"Moving on!" Dallas said quickly. "Miley and I have something awesome planned for your hen night, Demi." Dallas grinned over at Miley. "You're going to _love _it."

"Three weeks to go," Miley teased, nudging Demi.

"Four weeks until the wedding," Demi said, grinning.

"Why did you leave it so late getting your dress?" Selena asked.

Demi shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to risk Joe finding it. Dallas is going to keep it at her place until the night before the wedding, then we're all staying at her place that night and getting ready there for the wedding," she explained.

"Are Kelly and Charlotte not bridesmaids?" Miley asked.

Demi shook her head. "They're going away next week to work in France. They're there for like a month so they'll miss the wedding," she said.

"Oh, they're going to France. Why don't you go over there, Miley? Maybe over there it might actually be considered okay to steal somebody else's husband," Selena said, smirking at Miley.

Miley gritted her teeth and glared at Selena. "That's it. Stop it _now_, Selena. I get it, Nick's with me now. But you being a bitch isn't going to change that. It isn't going to make him come back to you. So why don't you just acting like a twelve year old and be a mature adult about this."

"You have no idea what it's like to have a husband who leaves you for somebody like _you_," Selena snarled.

Miley chuckled. "I see. Someone like me. And what sort of person would that be?"

Selena looked Miley up and down and smirked. "A cheap little slut who only wants Nick for his money."

Miley laughed loudly. "Sorry, what? I want Nick for his money, do I? Sweetie, I don't need Nick's money. I've got my own, thanks very much. I think it's _you_ that wants him for his money. After all, what are you going to do now that he isn't feeding your little shopping addiction?"

Selena slipped out of the booth and stood at the end of the table, glaring down at Miley. "I can get a job for myself. I can make my own money. I don't need his money either. I think you'll need it more than me."

Miley leaned back into the soft seat of the booth, amused, a grin playing on her lips. "And why exactly would I need it more than you?"

"That little hotel of yours is going to be a complete failure. Everyone knows it except for you. How many guests do you have right now? Two, maybe three, I'm guessing. Besides, you don't have the brains to run a business. You're just a stupid little California girl," Selena snapped.

"Right, okay, if that's what you think. First off, I was born in Tennessee. I moved here with my family when I was like six months old. Secondly, I'd rather be a California girl than somebody who feels the need to insult others just because their husband has left them. I don't know how things worked back in Texas before you left for college, but around here, we don't get by insulting people. Around her, we suck it up and move on. Maybe you should learn to do that," Miley said.

"At least Nick and I were actually born in the same place."

"Maybe you were both born in Texas, but I fail to see how that makes a good marriage. Sure, you were both born there, but Nick and I both grew up together here in California. Face it, Selena. Your marriage was falling apart before Nick and I ever got together. You pushed him away with your clinging and your nagging and your stupid little demands for a baby. Didn't you see that he wasn't ready for a kid? I didn't break up your marriage, Selena. _You_ did."

Selena's eyes narrowed as she tried to hold in the tears. She gulped back the sobs that she desperately wanted to let out. "Shut up. Shut up now. That's not true. _You _broke us up. Not me. You seduced him. You distracted him. You _brainwashed_ him."

Miley shook her head sympathetically. "Sweetie, I never did anything of the sort. The truth is that he just wasn't ready for marriage at such a young age. He never was and he wouldn't be for a long, long time. I'm sorry things ended between you and Nick the way they did, but being angry and bitter won't change the last few days."

Selena's legs felt weak beneath her, as though they were about to give way on her. She grasped the table for support. "Nick loved me."

"I know he did, Selena. Of course he did. He married you for a reason. But sweetie, wishing and wanting him to come back to you won't fix anything. It won't bring him back." Miley reached out to touch Selena's hand but decided better and pulled back. "It's over, Selena."

Selena took a shaky breath. "No it isn't. Nick and I aren't over. We love each other."

Demi reached out to Selena. "Selena, sweetie, come and sit down. Please." She glanced at Dallas, worried for her friend. "Honey, please just come and sit down. Take a glass of water and calm down."

Miley reached out and touched Selena. "Sel, sit down. Please. You're worrying me."

"Don't touch me!" Selena screamed. The whole bar turned to look at them. "Don't even pretend to care about me. If you cared about me, you would never have done what you did. Nick _loves _me. You and him are just a phase. He'll be back to me before you know it." Selena was shaking, crying hysterically. "He'll be back to me."

The bartender came over with their drinks. "Is everything okay here?" he asked, glancing at Selena's shaking figure.

Dallas helped the shaking Selena sit down in the booth and wrapped a supportive arm around her. "Don't worry, everything's fine," she said. She smiled up at the bartender. "Thanks for bringing the drinks over. We're all fine here, right, guys?"

Miley and Demi nodded. The bartender glanced at Selena one more time before walking away to serve his other customers.

Demi reached over and squeezed Selena's hand. "Sweetie, calm down."

Selena tried to get up again, but Dallas held her back. "Selena, honey, you need to stay here and calm down," she said softly, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm the woman down.

Miley opened her mouth to say something, but she never got the chance to say it.

Suddenly, everything began to shake. Tables and chairs started moving across the room. Glasses fell off the bar and tables and smashed on the floor. Pictures flew off the walls. Bottles came flying off the shelves behind the bar. The glass windows at the front of the bar shattered as objects and people were thrown against them. Everyone started screaming and getting up off their seats. Many stood in doorways or crawled under the tables.

Within seconds, the shaking stopped. Some decided to get out from their hiding places. Many, however, stayed where they were. That was when the ceiling caved in.

Then the bar went silent.

**CLIFFHANGER! Sorry, haha :) It was just too good to not leave a cliffhanger. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Why don't you all leave me a review and tell me what you thought? ;) That would mean a lot to me. I think I'll give you all the option for this. For the next update, would you like Chapter 12 of You Won't Feel A Thing or Chapter 2 of That Little Blue Door? Tell me in your review ;) The one with the most votes will be updated next. Anyway. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Chapter 12 should be pretty exciting :D So don't forget to review and tell me a) what you thought of the chapter and b) whether you'd like YWFAT or TLBD updated next. Thanks for reading :)**

**Thank you xNileyxBubblesx (Thank you x), TheMsBrandy1 (Yeah, it definitely gets more intense as the story continues. Wait and see, m'dear ;]), thousandreasons (Haha. Thank you x), LaLaLax6 (Thank you so much. That is definitely coming soon ;]), lovetowrite07 (Aw, thank you so much) and RhondaAnn1 (Possibly later on the story, possibly not ;]) for your reviews on Chapter 10. Was kind of hoping for more reviews on the whole lunch drama but whatever. Hopefully the reviews on this chapter will make up for my disappointment ;) Don't get me wrong though! I definitely appreciate the reviews I do get on my story.**


	12. Chapter 12

Nick and Joe crawled out from under Joe and Demi's dinner table. Joe coughed from the dust and looked around. All of his and Demi's possessions were lying all over the apartment from the earthquake. Furniture was lying on it's side or broken.

"God, Demi's going to kill me."

Nick looked at Joe and punched him in the arm. "There was just an earthquake and all you can think about is how Demi's going to react to the state of your apartment?" he exclaimed.

"What? She put a lot of effort into decorating it and shit. She'll kill me when she sees I didn't make an effort to keep all her crap in its place. Now I'm going to have to tidy all this up," Joe responded.

Nick punched him again. "Dude! I don't think her damn apartment is going to be on her mind right now. I think she'll be more concerned about whether you're alive or not to be honest," he said.

Joe shrugged and took out his phone. "I'm calling her. God knows where she is." He glanced at his phone and groaned. "No damn service. How the hell are we supposed to know if they're okay now?"

Nick grabbed his jacket off the kitchen counter and started walking towards the front door. Joe furrowed his brow, confused, then realised where Nick was going and ran after him.

"Man, you can't go out there yet. There could be aftershocks or something. You're meant to stay inside until you get the all clear or something," he said.

Nick glanced at Joe over his shoulder and smirked as he opened the door. "Joe, your apartment is on the sixth floor. There's like five or six more floors above you. I think I'd rather be outside than in here right after an earthquake," he said as he walked out the door.

"What, why?" Joe called after him. He then understood what Nick meant and grabbed his jacket off the rack before running after his brother. "And what exactly are you planning on doing? God knows where they could be," he said, jogging to keep up with Nick's fast pace.

"Joe, there's one mall in town with a store selling wedding dresses that Demi actually approves of. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the girls are somewhere around there," he said. He pressed the elevator button, but it didn't come.

"Bro, there was just an earthquake. I doubt the elevator's working," Joe said.

Nick pushed open the door to the stairs and went down them as fast as he could, Joe trailing behind him. When he reached the bottom, he waited for Joe to catch up before going into foyer.

In the foyer, there were people screaming and yelling, trying to contact loved ones in different parts of town, calling for their children lost in the crowd of people in the building, panicking about possible aftershocks damaging the city any further, all trying to get out the door.

Nick and Joe pushed and shoved through the crowd until they reached the front. They went out onto the courtyard outside the building. Joe motioned for Nick to follow him. They noticed security guards blocking the exit, but they managed to slip past when the security guards were trying to calm a woman down who was screaming and yelling for her husband.

"Is it a far walk from here to the mall?" Nick asked.

"Not if you run," Joe responded.

The two men looked at each other before starting to run down the street towards the mall.

As they ran, Nick noticed the destruction the earthquake had caused. Trees had fallen and crushed cars. A couple of buildings had collapsed. Screaming and shouting could be heard everywhere. People were yelling for help, crying out for someone to hear them and stop and help.

Nick felt tempted to stop and help all the people that were screaming for help, but then he remembered that if he even attempted to save some people, he would most likely never reach Miley. Besides, he wasn't trained to rescue people from the rubble.

Soon enough, they reached the mall. From the outside, it looked perfectly fine. All three storeys were intact. They had no idea about the back, however. But the back was only one storey. Maybe it was completely unaffected as well. Even if it wasn't, the chances were that the damage wouldn't be as bad, seeing as only the ceiling would have come in and not the other storeys.

"Maybe they're fine," Joe said optimistically.

"Maybe they aren't."

Joe swallowed hard and looked up at the mall in front of them. "Let's hope they are." He looked at his brother and bit his lip. "You ready to go in there?" he asked.

Nick stayed where he was for a moment, staring silently at the building before him. "It's quiet."

"So what? An earthquake just happened, Nick. People will have evacuated by now if everything's okay."

Nick shook his head. "It's _too _quiet."

"Okay, don't talk like that. We don't know how things are inside," Joe said. Even though he sounded optimistic, the truth was that he was trying to convince himself that the girls were okay more than he was trying to convince Nick.

Nick took a step closer to the door. "Come on, let's go and see." He pushed open the door to the mall and entered the building with Joe right behind him, both of them ready to find the girls.

When they stepped inside the mall, Nick's legs nearly gave way beneath him as he stared at the sight in front of him. The front part of the mall was perfectly fine. However, the back section, the one storey section, had completely caved in.

The people from the front section of the mall were all sitting in the open air middle section of the mall. They were all sitting in silence, watching the rubble, waiting for help to arrive. Mall security was beginning to evacuate the building in case the front caved in as well.

Joe's eyes widened in horror.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, but he was almost sure he knew what was coming.

Joe lifted a finger and pointed at the rubble. He was shaking furiously. "Th-That place ... That's Demi's favourite bar," he whispered. Joe leaned against the wall of the building, trying to keep himself steady.

Nick felt as if his whole world had come crashing down around him. By the looks of things, the girls weren't sitting, waiting for help with the other people in the middle of the mall. That meant that they had to be in the collapsed bar that Demi loved so much. That meant that any of the girls could be lying underneath that rubble, dead. Any of them could be lying there, trying to scream for help. Any of them could be lying there, in pain and too weak to move.

Nick fell to the ground on his knees, staring at the collapsed bar. Miley could be in that pile of rubble. She could be in there, calling his name. She could in there, lying there with broken bones and the feeling of unbearable pain. Worst of all, Miley, Nick's beautiful and amazing Miley, could be lying underneath that pile of rubble,_**dead**_.

Nick rose to his feet and slowly started to walk towards the rubble. He ignored Joe's calls for him to come back. He ignored the stares of others in the mall, watching and wondering why he was wandering aimlessly towards a collapsed part of the building.

A security guard rushed over and stepped in front of Nick, stopping him from getting any closer to the rubble. "Sir, I'm afraid you can't go near the devastation point until the emergency services have arrived and have begun their rescue process," he said softly.

Nick ignored the man and tried to walk past, but the man grabbed Nick's arm. "You don't understand," Nick whispered. "My girlfriend's in there."

The man looked at Nick, his eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid you'll have to go over there and wait with the other victims. We'll try and get your girlfriend out as soon as possible. The emergency services will be here as soon as they can," he said.

_Victims_. The word made Nick sound like he was the one in pain. Like he was the one trapped under rubble, unable to get out. Like he was the one that could be on death's door. Like he had any reason to complain. He was alive, wasn't he? He was safe and well. Surely that didn't make him a _victim_. A victim was someone who was physically harmed by the earthquake. Of course, if someone he loved was hurt or even dead, that left him emotionally scarred. But he certainly didn't see himself as a _victim_ of the earthquake. No, he saw himself as more of a witness. A bystander, watching the whole event as everything unravelled and people's worlds fell apart around him.

Nick slumped down onto the ground in the centre of the mall, staring at the pile of rubble. Joe slumped down beside him. They both sat there in silence, watching as the security guards gradually evacuated more and more people from the building.

"What if they're dead?" Joe whispered.

Nick stayed silent and kept his eyes on the rubble. He didn't even want to think of the possibility that Miley could be lying in there, dead with no one to save her. He didn't want to think about how much he would hate himself if she was dead. His life wasn't worth living if he didn't have Miley. She was his sunshine. No one made him smile or laugh more than she did. She was the centre of his life. If she was gone then it was like the light in his life had gone out.

A voice interrupted Nick's thoughts.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I'm afraid we have to escort you from the building. It's dangerous in a half-collapsed building right now." The security guard looked down at the men sympathetically. When he got no reaction, he followed their gazes to the pile of rubble across the courtyard. "The emergency services will be here soon," he said in an attempt to comfort them.

Joe stood up slowly. "Fuck that," he whispered. "I'm getting her out myself." He ran over to the pile of rubble as quickly as he could.

The security guard chased after him and held him back. "Sir, I can't let you do that!" he yelled, trying to hold Joe back and stop him from getting through to the collapsed bar.

Nick slowly rose to his feet and quietly followed the crowd of people evacuating the building, leaving his brother to fight his way to the bar. He didn't want to look at it anymore. It was just a reminder that Miley was lying in that collapsed bar. It reminded him that she could be lying there, dead.

As Nick walked out onto the street and slumped down on the pavement across the street, he heard sirens. Ambulances, fire engines, police cars and other emergency vehicles came screeching down the street. They all pulled up outside the building and ran in. Some ran down the street to attend to another collapsed building.

Nick looked up and saw Joe being escorted from the building and over to Nick. For the first time in years, Nick saw Joe crying, and really crying. He was sobbing hysterically. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He was yelling to be taken back into the building so he could find Demi. His yells were ignored. The security guards took Joe to Nick.

Joe slumped down on the pavement beside Nick and buried his face in his hands. "Four weeks," he whispered.

Nick looked at his brother, confused.

Joe looked up at Nick with bloodshot eyes and tears streaming down his cheeks. "Four weeks today until the wedding. Four weeks today and she's lying in that building. She could be dead for all I know." Joe looked up at the clear blue sky. "What are we going to do?"

Nick stared across the street again, watching as more rescue services entered the building to save those stuck under the rubble.

"I really don't know."

Demi's eyes slowly fluttered open. She coughed, the dust getting to her. She tried to look around but it was hard to see. All she could see in front of the table were bricks and rubble. She looked to her right and saw Miley lying beside her, lying still with eyes closed and her face covered in dust.

She opened her mouth to scream for help but ended up coughing more because of the dust. She looked around in search of Dallas and Selena but she couldn't see them anywhere near her and Selena.

She tried to crawl out from under the table but she couldn't go any further than about five centimetres from the edge of the table without running into heavy rubble. She tried to lift some bricks to get out from the dirty dusty space she was in but it was too heavy for her weak frame to lift. Demi fell back under the table and closed her eyes, too weak to keep them open.

All she wanted was to get out from the rubble she was trapped beneath.

Joe stood up from the pavement and looked down at his brother. "You coming?" he asked.

Nick shrugged, never keeping his eyes off the building. He felt like it was all just a dream. Like when he woke up, everything would be fine and Miley would lying beside him in her bed, sleeping peacefully with her long hair sprawled across the pillow. But he knew that, no matter how hard he wished for that to happen, it never would. Miley wasn't going to be sleeping beside him in her bedroom like she had been that morning. She wasn't going to be at her hotel, checking in new guests. She was going to be under that rubble, God knows how badly beaten up.

Joe sighed. "I'll get you some water," he said.

Nick watched the building again, thinking more and more about what his life would be like if Miley was lying in there dead. He would have no reason to get up in the morning. The rest of his life seemed like a dark, black hole as he thought about the possibility of his girlfriend, who he had only been with properly, officially, for only days, being dead in that building.

Suddenly, the waiting crowd across the street from the mall rose to their feet as paramedics came out of the building, rolling a stretch towards an ambulance. A police officer walked behind them, holding a clear bag with a phone and a wallet in it. Nick stared at the bag. That was Miley's phone and he thought that it was _maybe _Miley's wallet. He slowly rose to his feet and stepped closer to the ambulance crew who were putting the stretcher into the ambulance.

"I'm sorry," he said to the police man, his voice quiet and hoarse. "But do you have any idea who's on that stretcher?" He hoped to God that it was Miley. If the person was dead, they would be in a body bag, right? He just hoped with all his might that it was his girlfriend lying on that stretcher, as weird as it sounded.

The police man stuck his hand in the clear bag and opened the wallet to check for any ID or credit cards. He found a driver's license and looked into the ambulance to match the picture on the license to the person carried into the ambulance.

"This is a Miss Demi Monroe. Do you know her?"

Nick's heart pounded in his chest. Demi was okay. Well, not necessarily okay, but alive at least. He looked around for Joe. "JOE!" he yelled. He saw Joe over at the street corner, talking to a man who was giving water out to those waiting for news of their loved ones trapped inside the building.

Joe turned at the sound of his name and saw Nick standing over with the police officer at the ambulance. Joe's eyes widened. He dropped the two bottles of water in his hand and sprinted over to the ambulance.

"What's going on?" he panted.

Nick smiled slightly. "Joe, it's Demi." His smile grew wider and his eyes filled with tears at the thought that Demi was still alive. "She's alive. She's in the ambulance."

Joe's face lit up with jubilation at the news that his fiancée was alive. "Sh-She's alive?" He looked at the police officer for some sort of confirmation. The police officer nodded, smiling slightly at the sight of the men's happiness. "C-Can I go in the ambulance with her?"

"I'll just check for you," the police officer replied. He climbed into the ambulance and mumbled something to a paramedic. The paramedic looked down at Joe and smiled. The police officer smiled and nodded at Joe. "You can go on to the hospital with her," he said.

Joe practically dived into the ambulance. Nick smiled slightly at his brother's joy, but he couldn't stop the disappointment and the heavy feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach that Miley could actually be lying dead in the building before him.

"You haven't found a Miss Miley Stewart, have you?" Nick asked quietly.

"No, sir, I'm sorry. Is she a friend of yours?" the police officer asked.

Nick nodded slightly, biting his lip to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall for worry about Miley. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend," he whispered softly. He closed his eyes, willing her to come out of the earthquake alive.

The police officer placed a hand on Nick's shoulder and smiled supportively. "We'll keep looking for her, son," he said.

"She, uh, she spends most of her time with Demi. Chances are that she'll be somewhere near her," he whispered. Nick then turned on his heel and walked back to his previous seat on the pavement across from the mall. He knew the police officer was watching him but he didn't care.

Nick stared up at the building, his head spinning with thoughts of Miley. If Miley didn't make it through, there were so many things that they never got to do together. He never took her on the perfect date he had wanted to take her on for Valentine's Day. They never went walking along Venice Beach like they always used to when they were growing up. Most importantly, he never got to tell her just how much he loved her. Sure, he had told her he loved her but he had never made it clear exactly how much. He had never gotten to show her with gifts and fancy dinners. None of those things mattered, though. The one thing that mattered most was that he would never get to do the one thing he really wanted to - the million and one times a day he would say 'I love you' to her.

More and more stretchers were pulled from the building. The paramedics had decided to avoid disappointment for the loved ones of the dead and wounded by calling out the names if the person had ID on them. Though about six or seven more people had come out since Demi's ambulance had driven away, none of them were Miley.

"Selena Gray!"

Nick's head shot up. He had completely forgotten that Selena was with Miley, Dallas and Demi whenever the earthquake happened. He gulped, not quite sure whether to go over and go with her to the hospital and wait.

When nobody stood to go in the ambulance with Selena, the stretcher was loaded into the ambulance and was driven off to the nearest hospital.

Nick swallowed hard. He was filled with thoughts of how maybe he should have accompanied her to the hospital. _At least she's alive_, he thought. He closed his eyes. He just wanted them to pull Miley from the rubble so he could get away from the mall. He was sick and tired of watching people run over to accompany their loved ones to the hospital. He didn't want to watch the family and friends of the dead sob when their names were called out. It made him feel ill. It filled him with fear that, at any moment, Miley's body could be carried out in a body bag and her name could be called out by the paramedic.

He rose to his feet and walked towards the mall, ready to go in and find her himself if he had to. He was sick and tired of sitting around and waiting for somebody else to find her. They clearly weren't doing a very good job. Surely if Demi and Selena had been found, Miley and Dallas would have been found too?

Nick went to go through the door but a paramedic stopped him. "Sorry, sir. No entry into the building."

"You don't understand. I _have_ to get in there. My girlfriend's lying in there. God knows whether she's even alive." Nick sighed and closed his eyes. "Look. I've just seen my best friend and my w – I mean, my ex – being taken out of that building and put in ambulances. If you can find them then why is it so hard to find my girlfriend?"

The paramedic sighed. "We're trying our best to get all victims out as quickly as possible, sir. Would you mind taking a seat beside the other people waiting, please?" The paramedic opened the door for another stretcher to be brought through.

Nick didn't move. He waited for the stretcher to be brought through so he could see whether Miley, his beautiful Miley, was going to be brought through the doors.

"Any ID?" the paramedic at the door asked.

One of the men rolling the stretcher tossed the paramedic a driver's license and rolled the person closer to the door. The paramedic glanced at the license then looked around at the crowd gathering across from the mall.

"Miss Miley Stewart!" he yelled.

Nick's heart pounded against his chest as the stretcher came closer to the door. Sure enough, he saw Miley's long brunette curls splayed across the stretcher. The Miley he knew and loved, however, wasn't there. She was covered in dust and blood. She looked frail and weak. She was unconscious, lying on the stretcher with her eyes closed peacefully.

Nick looked at the paramedic. "Th-That's my girlfriend," he whispered.

"Would you like to travel in the ambulance with her?" the paramedic asked.

Nick slowly nodded and followed the paramedics over to the ambulance, where her stretcher was being loaded on. Once she was in, he climbed in and sat down beside on of the paramedics.

The woman smiled at him. "Hopefully she'll be just fine, son," she said, sensing his worry.

"How is she?" he whispered, not taking his eyes off her for a moment. He reached out and touched her hand. He never wanted to let go after what he had been through when worrying about whether or not she was even alive.

The woman smiled at Nick. "She's a fighter alright. We found her lying under a table. Chances are she'll have some broken ribs and possibly some other broken bones from the rubble falling on her. Obviously she has plenty of cuts and bruises so she may need a few stitches but she should be just fine. She might need to be treated for dust inhalation, but don't you worry. She's one of the lucky ones in that building," she said.

Nick looked down at Miley again. He could see the ghost of her last expression before the building collapsed – a look of shock, horror and fear. "She's definitely lucky," he whispered.

The woman smiled at Nick again and patted his arm. "With good medical care and maybe some counselling for the emotional stress of an earthquake, she'll be just fine." She looked down at Miley. "What's her name?" she asked.

"Miley," Nick replied.

"She's beautiful."

Nick smiled slightly as he looked down at Miley. "Yeah, she is." He looked up at the woman. "How many are dead in that building, may I ask?" he said hesitantly.

The woman bit her lip and looked down. "So far, they've found about three dead. One of them was the bartender. Chances are he would have died whether the ceiling had caved in or not. He had been kneeling behind the counter when the earthquake happened. All the bottles falling and smashing around him killed him, they're guessing," she said.

"And the others?"

"They think one fell through a glass window at the front head first."

Nick stared down at Miley. "She really was lucky then, huh?"

The woman nodded. "Particularly in a building that caved in," she said softly.

When they arrived at the hospital, the two paramedics in the front rushed around the back and helped the woman get Miley's stretcher out of the ambulance. Nick went to follow but the woman smiled at him and stopped.

"What's your name, sir?"

"Nick. Nick Gray."

"Okay. Well, Nick, I'm afraid you'll have to go and wait in the waiting room while Miley here gets checked up and x-rayed. We'll come and find you in the waiting room as soon as she's settled," she said.

Nick nodded and watched the woman as she walked away with the men and Miley on her stretcher. Nick wandered into the hospital and found the waiting room. He spotted Joe and slumped down beside him on the chair next to him.

"How's Dem?"

"She's getting checked up and everything. The nurse said they should done soon. I take it they got Miley out. How is she?"

"A few broken bones and possibly some stitches, the paramedic things, and maybe some dust inhalation, but otherwise she should be fine," Nick replied.

"Damn, Nick, they really scared me. I thought they were dead. Who knows what could have happened if they weren't under that freaking table." Joe hesitated. "Nick? Dude, what happened to Selena and Dallas?"

"I think Selena's here getting checked up. And Dallas ... God, Joe, I have no idea where she is."

Joe's eyes widened in horror. "Shit. Oh God, Nick, if she's dead ... What am I supposed to tell Demi? Dallas is like the mom Dem never had. Shit." Joe buried his face in his hands.

Nick patted Joe on the back. "We don't know anything yet. For all we know, Dallas could be on her way here in an ambulance right now. Just don't worry about it just yet, bro. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's just focus on Demi and Miley right now."

"And what about Selena?"

Nick gritted his teeth. He felt bad for Selena, he really did, but he was still angry at her for being such a bitch towards Miley about him leaving her. Their marriage was falling apart before he even got involved with Miley. It annoyed him that Selena had never even seen that they just weren't meant to be.

"What about her?"

"Nick, she's your wife. You have to go and see her," Joe said.

"Wife or not, she was a bitch before the earthquake." He sighed. "Besides, I just want to focus on Miley and her getting checked over and everything before I get involved with Selena and her drama. Right after an earthquake isn't exactly the best time to sort out our marital problems. We can sort that out when her, Miley and Demi are fit and healthy again."

"Nick ... her mom lives in Texas. All her friends live in Texas. We're all she's got around here. One of us has to go and visit her once she wakes up. Don't act like you can't. One of us have to. You're the reason she even moved full-time to California. You should at least have the decency to visit her right after an earthquake," Joe said.

"Fine," Nick said. "I'll go and see her, but only after I see Miley and I know that she's okay. _Then_ I'll visit Selena. Deal?"

Before Joe could answer, a nurse walked out. Everyone in the waiting room looked up in hope that the nurse was coming to tell them that their loved ones were okay and that they'd make a full recovery. "Demi Monroe?" she called.

Joe jumped to his feet. "That's my girlfriend," he said.

The nurse motioned for him to follow. Joe looked down at Nick. "Chances are Miles won't be finished for a bit. Want to come and see Demi while you wait?" he asked.

Nick nodded and rose to his feet. The two brothers walked side by side behind the nurse. The nurse turned into a room about ten doors down the hall and stood beside the bed. The two men walked into the room and ground to a halt.

Joe stared at Demi, who was sitting up in the bed, wide awake. She smiled slightly when she saw Joe.

"Hey, sweetie," she said, her voice hoarse and raspy.

Joe's eyes welled with tears as he stepped closer and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hey, baby girl," he whispered. He reached his hand out and stroked her hair. "God, Dem, you scared the crap out of me." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

The nurse smiled at the couple. "Demi here has a broken ankle, some broken ribs, a sprained wrist and twenty stitches. She's not doing too badly for someone who had a building collapse around them." She backed away towards the door. "Just shout if you need anything." She turned on her heel and walked away to tend to other patients.

Demi looked up at Nick and smiled. "Hey, Nick."

Nick smiled down. "Hey, Dem. How are you feeling?" he asked.

Demi grinned. "Could be better." She paused and bit her lip. "How's Miley?" she asked, worried.

"She's getting checked over but she should be fine." Nick walked over and sat down in the chair beside Demi's bed. "Don't worry about Miley right now. She'll be fine. Just focus on getting better."

Demi, however, didn't listen to Nick's advice. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Nick. "It's all my fault. I dragged them into that stupid bar after we went and got my dress. I thought it would be fun. Then Miley and Selena got in this big fight and then Selena had like some sort of breakdown and then the earthquake happened and – Oh God, Nick, I'm so so sorry!"

Nick reached out and squeezed Demi's hand. "Hey, hey. It isn't your fault. Calm down. You couldn't have stopped the earthquake from happening even if you knew that it was coming. Don't worry about it. Miley will be just fine."

Demi sighed. "And Selena and Dallas?"

"They're checking up Selena now," Joe said. He avoided telling Demi that Dallas hadn't been pulled out yet.

"And Dallas?"

Joe and Nick looked at each other. Neither of them was sure how to tell Demi that her big sister, the person who had basically raised her, was still lying under all the rubble, maybe dead and maybe not.

Demi's face crumpled in horror. "She hasn't been found, has she?" she whispered.

Nick shook his head and touched Demi's hand. "No. I'm sorry, Dem. I'll try and find out at the front desk for you once I see Miley, I promise," he whispered.

Demi nodded. There was a knock on the door. The three of them turned to see the paramedic Nick had been in the ambulance with smiling over at them.

"Nick? Miley's awake," she said.

Nick jumped out of his seat. "Can I see her?" he asked.

The paramedic smiled and nodded. Nick leaned forward and kissed Demi's head in a brotherly way. "Feel better, Dem. I'll check about Dallas for you in a bit," he said. He then turned and followed the paramedic out of the room.

The paramedic led him about five doors down from Demi and into another room. Nick stood in the door, staring over at Miley. She was lying in her bed, propped up by pillows. The television in the corner was on but Miley wasn't really watching. She heard footsteps and turned her head. A smile started to play on her lips when she saw Nick.

He leaned against the door frame and smiled over at her. "Hey, beautiful," he said softly, watching her.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Nick," she whispered.

He walked over to her bed and sat down in the chair beside it. "How's it going, gorgeous?" he asked.

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Oh my gosh, Nick, I'm so glad you're okay. Did you get hurt or anything?" she asked, worried.

Nick shook his head. He smiled and touched her nose. "But you, princess, are." He glanced up at the paramedic. "Is she going to be alright?" he asked before glancing back at Miley.

"Miley here has some broken ribs and inhaled some dust, just like we thought. She broke her left wrist and her right leg. She has twenty-five stitches. Other than that, she'll be fine." The paramedic smiled at Miley. "You're one lucky woman."

Miley smiled at Nick. "Damn right I am."

The paramedic smiled at the couple before leaving the room.

Miley reached for the remote and turned off the television. "How is everyone else? Demi? Joe? Dallas? Selena?" Her eyes widened in horror. "Please tell me Demi's okay. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her."

Nick smiled. "Demi's fine. She's a few doors down with Joe. Selena's around here somewhere, getting treated." He hesitated. "When I left with you in the ambulance, Dallas still hadn't been found."

Miley nodded slowly. "Dallas ... still hasn't been found," she whispered.

"They're bound to find her, though. She can't have been far from you three and you three all got out okay. It's only a matter of time." Nick reached out and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "God, Mi, you scared me back there. I thought you were dead."

She smiled slightly. "I'm sorry."

Nick chuckled. "Only you would get trapped under rubble and apologise for it." He smiled at her. "I'm just glad you're okay. I love you, Miley."

"I love you too, Nick," she whispered. She patted the bed beside her and moved over. "Come sit with me," she said softly.

Nick got up from his chair and sat down beside her on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. He planted a soft, loving kiss on her forehead and stared straight ahead, thinking about how scared he had been only an hour before.

"Nick?"

"Yeah, Mi?"

She looked up at him. "If you're ever the one who gets trapped in a collapsed bar, I will personally castrate you for scaring me."

Nick chuckled to himself. "You don't have to worry about me, beautiful. I'll be just fine."

**BOOM, third update this week. I'm on a roll! ;) Longest chapter of YWFAT so far, I believe. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. So yeah. Definitely the next chapter of TLBD next weekend (or at least I hope so) and if I have time, maybe another chapter of YWFAT? We'll see how things go. So yeah ... in Chapter 13 we'll find out what happened to Dallas, how Selena's doing and we might just get a phonecall from a certain somebody ;) Guess who the caller is? Thanks for all your reviews x They meant a lot to me.**

**Sorry for any mistakes. Yet again, I failed to check it :L Oh well, at least I posted it!**

**Thanks to lovetowrite07, xmileylovex, xNileyxBubblesx, LaLaLax6 (Haha, I think we ALLLL want that part soon ;] It will definitely be coming within the next few chapters), RhondaAnn1, TheMsBrandy1, Lovelocelove, nileylooover, xxjustsmile, xImASmilerx (I thought she looked amazing as well), Team M and JuuhByMiley for your reviews. I enjoyed reading them all. Much appreciated x**


	13. Chapter 13

Miley and Nick were lying on the bed together, almost asleep. Nick had both his arm wrapped around her protectively, ready to cover her if an aftershock came. Miley was lying peacefully in his arms, her eyes almost closed.

"I love you," he whispered.

She smiled. "You've already said that."

Nick ran his fingers through her hair and smiled softly to himself as he twirled a strand of her brown curls around his finger. "Well, I'll say it again. I love you. More than anything," he said, his voice still soft and quiet.

Her eyes fluttered open. "I love you too," she whispered. She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "You promise we'll be okay?" she asked.

He grinned. "You already said that," he teased in a high pitched tone of voice, an over-exaggerated version of Miley's own voice.

She poked him in the stomach. "I'm serious, you ass." She sighed. "This is it though, right? Everything with Selena and Jake and everything is over. No more lies, no more games." She smiled slightly. "No more earthquakes. Just you and me."

He kissed her forehead and stared at the wall directly in front of him. "Yeah, baby, this is it," he whispered.

She looked up at him and immediately spotted the worried expression on his face. "You know, you can go and see her if you want. I won't get mad." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Sweetie, she's your wife. You're the only family she's got up here. You need to go and make sure she's okay."

He shook his head. "I'm not leaving you," he whispered.

Miley smiled and kissed his cheek. "I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. I'm in a hospital with highly trained doctors and nurses. Besides, it's not like there's going to be an aftershock, is there? If there was, it would have happened by now," she said.

He smirked slightly. "Actually, an aftershock can happen at any time."

She nudged him in the stomach again, this time with her elbow. "Shut up, you know what I mean. Ten minutes won't hurt. Go and make sure she's okay. I'll still be here when you come back, I promise." She narrowed her eyes slightly at his hesitance. "Go or I'm going with you."

Nick grinned. "I might take you up on that," he said softly.

Miley's voice lowered to nearly a growl. "Nicholas, the last thing Selena needs after being trapped under a collapsed building is her husband and his new girlfriend rubbing it in her face that they're together and happy while she's alone and doing God knows how well," he said.

His face froze in horror at Miley's words. "Shit," he whispered.

She looked at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I was supposed to ask about Dallas for Demi," he whispered.

Miley motioned for him to go on. "You go on and see Selena. I'll call the nurse and ask about Dallas. I was planning to ask her to take me in to Demi in a while any way. May as well do it now," she said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "See you in Demi's room in a bit?"

Nick nodded. "See you then." Nick then rose to his feet and headed towards the door. "I love you!" he called over his shoulder as he walked out the door. He smiled to himself as he walked along. Even down the corridor, he could hear her giggle and call, "You already said that!"

Miley pressed the button to call the nurse into her room. Moments later, a small nurse scuttled in. She looked tired and flustered. She put on a smile for her next patient as she stepped closer to Miley's bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I was just wondering if you could help me find out if someone has arrived in the hospital after the earthquake." When she noticed the nurse's confused expression, Miley continued. "I wouldn't ask you to help me find out. It's just, my best friend's sister was under the rubble with us. We got out fine but we don't know about her sister. Her sister basically raised her. It would really mean so much to both Demi and myself if you could tell us if this woman has been brought in."

The nurse nodded. "I'll see what I can do. What's the name?" she asked.

"The name?"

"The name of the woman you want me to check for," the nurse said.

"Oh, right. Her name is Dallas Monroe. She came from the collapsed bar, _Andy's,_ in the mall," Miley replied.

"Is that all?" the nurse asked, quickly jotting something down on her clipboard.

"Actually," Miley said. She smiled hopefully up at the nurse. "I was wondering if it was possible to take me in next door? It's just my boyfriend has something to do and my best friend, the one who's sister I'm looking for, is just in the next room with her fiancée. It would really be great if you could take me in there."

The nurse nodded again. "I'll ask one of the other nurses to help you out. I'll just go and check about Miss Dallas Monroe and I'll come and find you next door." She smiled at Miley and quickly walked out of the room.

Moments later, a male nurse returned with a wheelchair. The wheelchair was manufactured so as an injured person could keep their bad leg elevated. The nurse had blonde bangs and striking blue eyes. He grinned at Miley.

"You needed help?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Could you just help me get next door to stay with my friends for a bit?" she asked.

The nurse nodded in reply. He gently transferred her from the bed into the wheelchair. He made sure she was safely in the chair with her leg elevated before wheeling her out of the room and into Demi's room.

When the nurse wheeled Miley in, Demi's face lit up when she saw her. "Miley!" she squealed. She went to jump out of bed but Joe stopped her.

"Broken bones, remember?" he reminded her.

Demi's eyes narrowed slightly at him. She then focused her attention back to Miley. "How are you feeling? Where's Nick? Is he still okay?" she asked.

Miley looked up at the nurse and smiled. "Thanks," she said to him. When he left, she turned back to Demi. "I'm feeling okay, thanks. Nick's fine. Actually, uh, he's visiting Selena down the hall," she said, scratching her neck nervously.

"He _what_?"

Both Demi and Joe were staring at Miley with open mouths and wide eyes. Clearly, neither of them could quite believe that Nick was going to see his wife in hospital after a near-death experience.

"He's visiting Selena. He's making sure she's okay." She noticed their shocked expressions and smiled. "It's okay, guys. I told him to go. I mean, he's all she has up here. I figured that maybe it would be good for her to see a familiar face while she's here, you know? Despite what happened between her and Nick, he's still her husband and he still cares about her, whether he's with me now or not."

Demi glanced from Miley to Joe and back again, biting her lip worriedly. "Miles ..." she said softly, trailing off. She sighed and touched Miley's hand. "Sweetie, Selena isn't exactly in a stable mental state right now. You saw her in the bar. Maybe after what happened ..." She trailed off again and closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to word what she was saying in a gentle way. "Selena nearly died. Do you really think it's a good idea for Nick to go and visit her when she's so ... vulnerable?"

Miley frowned slightly. "Why wouldn't it be good for her?"

Demi glanced at Joe, who nodded at her. Demi turned back to Miley and sighed again. "Miley, there's something you should know." She took a deep breath and continued. "Joe went to the doctor to see how Selena was doing earlier. The doctor took him to Selena and ..." She shook her head. "Honey, Sel isn't doing so well right now."

Miley smiled, looking for some sort of way to make the conversation seem bright and happy again. She was certain that she didn't want to hear what Demi was going to say. "Selena's alive and well. Isn't that the main thing?" She felt like a small child, being naïve enough to think that, after everything that had happened, Selena being 'alive and well' was the most important thing.

Joe swallowed hard. "That's the thing, Miles. Selena isn't well. Physically, sure, she's fine. But mentally ..." His voice trailed off. He cleared his throat. "Miley, when I went in there, Selena was just sitting there, staring at the wall. The doctor says that ..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Miley, Selena has been diagnosed with clinical depression by the doctors."

Miley froze. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Selena had _clinical depression_. No. She couldn't. Sure, Selena was upset about what had happened with Nick, and the earthquake was bound to have upset her further, but not clinical depression. Clinical depression was something that you saw on television or read about in books. Miley's beautiful, bouncy friend Selena couldn't have clinical depression, no matter what had happened. Selena would never, ever become so upset that she would become clinically depressed. It just wasn't in Selena's nature to allow something to get her that much.

As Miley sat there in silence, processing what Joe had just told her, she couldn't stop yet another thing happening that day. She couldn't stop that nagging voice at the back of her mind, prodding and taunting, telling her to the one thing that she really didn't want to hear. The voice kept repeating the four words that Miley didn't want to believe, the four words she wished weren't true.

_This is your fault._

Nick knocked on the door to Selena's room in the hospital. There was no answer. He knocked again. Still no answer. On the other side of the door, he heard the buzzing of the television, but otherwise silence. He tried to peer through the glass window into the room but the blinds were closed.

"Screw privacy," he mumbled to himself. He put his hand on the doorknob and opened the plain white door.

He stepped inside the room and immediately smelled the aroma of disinfectant and hand sanitiser. He looked around the room, much similar to Miley's, and immediately spotted Selena on the bed. She was sitting upright, cross-legged and straight-backed. She stared at the flat screen television in the corner.

She heard his footsteps and slowly turned her head to face him. Her facial expression didn't change. She just stared at him blankly, sitting in silence. She watched him as he stepped further into the room.

"Hey, Selena," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

She continued to watch him in silence. It was only when he sat down in the chair beside the bed that he noticed her injuries from the earthquake. She had a broken arm. There were bandages wrapped around her head. She had some stitches in her cheek and in her hand, no doubt in other places too. Her legs seemed to be completely fine.

As he stared at her, he was filled with guilt. He had allowed the ambulance to speed her to the hospital without anyone with her. The only thing he could picture in his mind was the mental image of Selena lying in the back of an ambulance with no one but a paramedic beside her, making sure that she's okay, but otherwise alone. No family, no friends, certainly no husband.

Selena didn't take her eyes off Nick. She simply stared at him. There was a couple of minutes of silence between them. The only sound heard was the buzzing of the television and the low humming of the hospital monitors.

The silence was then broken. Selena's face crumpled. She broke down in tears. Her entire body curled up in a loud outburst of sobs. Her small frame shook as she sobbed into herself. He wanted to think that she would soon quieten down and relax, but he knew she wouldn't. Her sobs just got louder and louder and her tears began to flood down her cheeks more and more rapidly. She was violently bawling and he didn't know what to do to help.

Nick then reached over and pressed the button beside the bed to call for a nurse or a doctor. Anyone that could help relax Selena. Within moments, three people came rushing into the room – a doctor, a nurse and someone who's occupation Nick could not identify. All three of them rushed over to Selena.

The nurse turned to Nick. "What happened, sir?" she asked.

Nick shook his head, still in shock. He had no idea what could have made Selena break down completely right before his eyes. "She, uh, she just started sobbing," he whispered. He couldn't take his eyes off the one part of her body that the doctor wasn't blocking – her frantically kicking feet.

The nurse looked at him sympathetically. "It's probably just the illness getting to her. She's had a rough day," she said softly. She then noticed Nick's clueless expression and realised that he didn't know what she was talking about. "Oh ... no one's told you, then," she said softly.

"Told me what?" Nick asked, his voice low and hoarse. He didn't know if he even _wanted_ to know what the woman was talking about, but he knew that it would be better to find out from a professional than from somebody else.

The nurse stepped away from Selena and led Nick out into the corridor. She quietly closed the door behind her and smiled sympathetically at Nick. It was like she knew just by looking at him that he and Selena were married.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, sir, but Selena has clinical depression. She was diagnosed with it after she woke up and the psychiatric specialist came in to check her for any mental damage," she said gently.

Nick stared at the woman, his shock from Selena's breakdown intensified by the woman's revelation. "She has _what_?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said softly. She touched his arm. "What are you to the patient, may I ask?"

Nick didn't know how to answer the question. Yes, he was Selena's husband. But if he said that, the nurse may expect him to stay with Selena 24/7. Yes, he and Selena had split up. But if he told the nurse that he was Selena's ex, she might keep him away from Selena, and he knew that she needed a friendly face, whether she knew that or not. She'd appreciate it some day.

"A friend." Short, simple. Not exactly a lie, not exactly the truth. She was his friend. Maybe he wasn't hers, but he still cared for his wife whether they had split up or not. He decided he needed to change the subject. "If she's depressed, why isn't she in some sort of psychiatric ward or something? Surely it isn't good for her to be left alone for any period of time if she's _depressed_." Of course, he wasn't a doctor and he didn't know what was and wasn't good for a woman in Selena's state of mind, but he sure as hell knew that his wife, although intelligent, was extremely hasty when it came to life-changing decisions. Nick didn't know what she was capable of when she was diagnosed with clinical depression and left alone.

"Doctor Adams wanted to make sure Selena was okay before he transferred her over to the psychiatric specialist ward. She'll stay down here overnight so he can keep an eye on her and then the specialists will transfer her over to their ward tomorrow to help her as much as they can." The nurse smiled slightly. "With the right assistance from the specialists and the medication they can offer her, Selena will hopefully make it through this."

Nick nodded and backed away from the nurse. "Well, uh, I better go. I have other people to visit before I leave," he said softly. He turned his back and walked as quickly down the hall as he could. He could feel the nurse watching him intensely, trying to read him, but he just kept on walking. He had to get away from Selena. He needed to get away from the doctors trying to calm her. He needed to get away from what his own selfishness had caused.

He stormed into Demi's room and slammed the door behind him. He felt three pairs of eyes look up to meet his own. He stared down at them. His eyes then met Miley's. Her blue orbs were filled with such concern and worry that it immediately calmed him down.

"You heard about Selena then?" Joe asked, his voice dull and expressionless.

Nick nodded and sat down in the second chair beside Selena's bed. He reached out for Miley's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Yeah, I heard. The nurse told me." He looked away. "She should be transferred to the psychiatric ward tomorrow," he said softly.

Miley nodded slightly. She glanced up at Nick. "Can you ask the nurse to take my back to my room? I'm kind of tired. I think I should take a nap," she said gently. She looked away from him, clearly not wanting to look at him for too long.

Nick nodded and walked out of the room to get the nurse.

Just as Nick left, the woman Miley had asked to check for Dallas walked in, smiling slightly. "Sorry, am I disturbing something? I can come back if you'd like," she said, hovering in the door.

Miley glanced at Demi, who shook her head. She turned back to the woman. "No, it's fine. Come on in," she said. She sat up slightly and watched as the woman walked further in, closing the door behind her.

The nurse stood at the end of Demi's bed. She glanced at her clipboard. "Who here is Dallas Monroe's sister?" she asked, looking up.

Demi raised her slightly. She looked scared, as though she nearly didn't want to know what the nurse was about to tell her about Dallas and the earthquake. "That's me," she said quietly, her voice small and frail.

The woman smiled slightly. "Dallas is fine. She has a bit of memory loss and luckily doesn't remember the earthquake. She has a broken leg and some stitches but she should make a full recovery. She was very lucky," she said. "She only came in a little while ago so we unfortunately must ask you to leave it a little while before you go and visit her. The doctor needs to explain to her exactly what happened."

Tears filled Demi's eyes. She covered her mouth, shocked that Dallas was okay. "Oh my gosh, she's fine," she whispered softly.

The nurse smiled. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asked.

Miley smiled back and shook her head. "Thank you so so much," she said gently. She watched as the nurse left the room before turning to Demi. "Oh my God, Demi, I'm so happy for you." She squeezed Demi's hand tightly.

The door opened again and Nick walked in with the male nurse that had brought Miley into Demi's room. The nurse smiled at Miley and got ready to take her back in.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Miley smiled over at Demi and squeezed her hand one more time. "I'll come back tomorrow, sweetie," she said softly. Demi nodded. Miley turned her head to look up at the man and smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm ready." She waved over her shoulder as the man turned the wheelchair around and gently pushed Miley out of the room, Nick hot on their heels.

Once Miley was settled in her room again, the man left, leaving Nick and Miley alone in silence in her hospital room. The silence was empty and awkward. Neither of them knew what they wanted to say or how they could ever word it if they did.

Nick sighed. "Is this how it's going to be now?"

"What do you mean?" Miley asked quietly.

"Awkward. You and me sitting in silence all the time." Nick sat down on the edge of Miley's bed and gripped her hand tightly. "Mi ... Babe, I don't know what I would have done if you didn't make it out of there." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The whole time you were in there, I was sitting across the street. I watched Joe leave with Demi. I watched Selena being taken away in the ambulance. I watched all these people find the ones they love and all I could do was sit there and watch. I couldn't go and find you. I couldn't go back in time and keep you with me during the 'quake." His eyes filled with tears as he stared at her. "God, Miley, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here right now."

Miley reached out and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, her soft blue eyes filled with salty tears as she repeated what he had said over and over again in her head. He really had suffered while she had been trapped. She had thought that she and all the others stuck in the bar had been the victims but the fact of the matter was that Nick had suffered more. Joe had suffered more. Every single person who was sitting across the street from that mall had suffered far worse than anybody in that bar had. Sure, they had been trapped in a collapsed building. Of course that was horrible. But the people that had made it through the earthquake safely had to sit across the street and sit in pain and silence, waiting for their friends and family to come out, not knowing whether their loved ones were even still alive.

"Ssh, baby. It's okay, sweetie. I'm here. I'm fine," she whispered in his ear. She ran her hand down his back. She allowed a tear to slip down her cheek. His words echoed in her mind as she thought more and more about.

In that moment, realisation hit Miley. Nick had specifically said he didn't know what he would have done if she wasn't there at that moment in time. God knows what he would have done. She realised that, in being with Nick, she had been through a lot and had come out of it better than she had come in. She now knew who she was. She had gone through so much by trying to prove to Selena that she and Nick weren't just some phase. In the end of it, she had come out the better person.

Nick pulled away from Miley and kissed her hand softly. "Let's get away for a while," he whispered. "Anywhere you want to go. Just you and me." He smiled. "Just say the word and we're gone, Mi." He sighed. "I need to get out of here. The earthquake was one of the worst moments of my life. I had no idea where you were or whether you were even alive. Hell, I didn't know if I was going to be alive at the end of it all. I just ... I need to get away. I need to go somewhere different. Somewhere far away from California."

Miley smiled slightly. "We can't just leave," she whispered.

Nick grinned. "Why not? Demi and Joe can mind the hotel and the house for you. It would be good for us to get away and just relax." He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Mi, if we get away from here, we can come back better people. We can just spend some time wherever you want to go and just relax and think things through. I think that's what we need."

Miley bit her lip, not sure what to say. More than anything she wanted to get away from California with Nick to clear her head and just spend some time with him. But there were things she had to think about. There was the hotel, the house, Selena, Demi. He had his own job as well. They couldn't just pack their bags and go. There were so many things that were standing in the way.

"I really want to ..." she said softly.

"Then do." He smiled and gripped her hand again. "Come on, Mi. Just me and you."

She sighed. "I don't know, Nick. I'll think about it," she said. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Do you mind running in to ask Demi if she knows where my phone is? I mean, I have no clue where it went during the earthquake. I need to call my mom and let her know I'm okay," she said.

Nick rose to his feet. "They should have it at the front desk. I'll go and see." He kissed her forehead softly. "Please think about it," he said. He then turned on his heel and quickly walked from the room, leaving Miley and her thoughts alone in the silence of the room.

The silence was then interrupted. 'Yeah 3X' by Chris Brown blared from Nick's phone, which was lying on the bedside cabinet beside Miley. She reached over and lifted the phone from the cabinet and into her palm.

_Carson Davidson._

Miley had no idea who Carson Davidson or why they were even calling Nick. She was torn between answering the phone to see who was calling Nick and why, and just leaving it and telling Nick that his phone had started ringing while he was gone. She went with the first one.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is Nick there?"

Miley glanced at the door. There was no sign of Nick. She shrugged slightly to herself. Now that she was on the phone to whoever she was talking to, she may as well see who it was. "Uh, no, I'm sorry. Who is this?" she asked.

"This is Carson Davidson's secretary over at Firecracker Records. We were wondering if we could confirm Nick's cancellation," the woman on the other end said.

"Cancellation for what?"

"His appointment with Mr Davidson." The woman hesitated, then continued. "Nick called the office yesterday and left a message. He cancelled his meeting next week with Carson. Mr Davidson heard him perform at some hotel grand opening and had asked Nick to come to the office here in LA to meet with him but Nick cancelled," she said. She sighed. "Shame, to be honest. Mr Davidson says he's got talent." She paused. "I'm sorry, who am I talking to?"

"Uh, his sister," Miley lied. "I'll let Nick know that you called," she said.

"Thank you. Have a good day!" the girl said cheerfully down the phone, her voice bright and bubbly.

Miley hung up and placed the phone down on the bedside cabinet again in shock. Nick had never told her that Firecracker Records wanted to meet with him. Firecracker Records was one of the most famous labels in the world. They had signed some of Nick's favourite artists.

One question echoed in her mind. _Why didn't he tell her?_ She just didn't understand why he had kept it a secret. More importantly, she didn't know why he had cancelled. She had no idea whether it was because he liked the job he was in or if it was because of her. In cancelling, she knew that Nick was letting go of an amazing opportunity.

She sighed to herself and buried her face in her hands. Nick was amazingly talented. He had been talented from the moment Miley had met him. Music was his life. Sure, he had settled for something less when he was deciding on a career, but only because he didn't think he would ever get signed by someone like Firecracker Records. Even if he had put his music on hold, Miley knew that he had never stopped writing music.

Miley stared at the wall directly in front of the bed. Her mind was spinning as thoughts whirled around in her head. She was so confused. Why had Nick cancelled an interview with Firecracker? Why didn't he tell her that Firecracker had contacted him in the first place?

Then it hit her. Maybe she had realised who she was from everything that had happened with Nick and Selena, but maybe Nick wasn't so sure.

**Hello everybody! What did you think? Sorry it took a while. Pretty busy lately :) But yeah ... Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Leave me a review and tell me what you thought of it all. Oh yeah. The mystery caller, in case you didn't guess, was Carson Davidson. Might write a bit more about him in the next chapter ;) Oh, and btw? WE HIT 100 REVIEWS :D Thank you all so so much. It meant so much to me.**

**So yeah ... hope you enjoyed. THANK YOU to NileyLover1992, heartvibe, skatergurl2789, Niley23 Alex, nileyxtruexlove (Think I messaged you the answer last week but can't remember :P But yeah, don't worry, the dress is just fine :P), xmileylovex, RhondaAnn1, xImASmilerx, spwarkle, TheMsBrandy1, thousandreasons (That Little Blue Door had a new chapter some time last week, and until I get YWFAT finished, it's on hold), xNileyxBubblesx, JuuhByMiley, LaLaLax6 and lovetowrite07 for your reviews :) Much appreciated, my dears x**


	14. Chapter 14

Nick walked in to Miley's room and saw her staring at the blank wall across from the bed. One word crossed his mind when he saw the blank expression on her face – _Shit_. Maybe her face was blank but her eyes said it all.

"Mi?"

She looked up at him. Her face stayed blank but her eyes narrowed slightly. She seemed to be trying to figure him out. She then reached out and picked up Nick's phone. She glanced down at it then back up at Nick.

"Who's Carson Davidson, Nick?"

_Double shit._ "Um, nobody. Where did you hear his name?" he asked.

"He called you," she said softly. She turned as comfortably as she could to face him and smiled slightly. "Whoever he is, his secretary called to confirm your cancellation. She said you had some sort of meeting with him."

"Carson is ... Carson is an old friend of my dad's." He didn't necessarily want to lie to Miley. He just knew that he couldn't tell her the truth. If he did, she'd just blame herself for him cancelling the meeting when there were so many other reasons for him cancelling on Carson Davidson.

Miley cleared her throat while keeping her eyes on him. "Funny that," she said, her voice growing colder and colder by the second. "The secretary said she worked for Firecracker Records." She set his phone down on the sheets. "Why was a guy from Firecracker Records calling you, Nick?"

Nick didn't know what else to do but shrug and act none-the-wiser. He couldn't explain why he didn't tell her. It wasn't that she wouldn't understand. He knew that she would more than anybody else he knew. He just knew that there was too much going on. He had a job with good pay that he didn't mind. But more importantly, if things with Firecracker had progressed, he would have been travelling 24/7. Nick just didn't think he could handle that. His home was in California. His friends were in California. And, of course, the one thing that mattered most to him was in California – Miley.

Nick shrugged. "I guess he saw me at your opening." He saw Miley's facial expression and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just ... I agreed to meet him before I thought about it. When I actually sat down and thought about all that meeting up with that guy could lead to, I changed my mind. I can't deal with that right now." He touched Miley's hand and smiled. "Mi, I put my music to the side for a reason. It isn't my main priority. It wasn't in college and it isn't now either."

Miley shook her head and pulled her hand away from his. "Nick ... You're so talented. You can't just let that go to waste. There's somebody out there that wants to meet with you and discuss your music. You can't drop that opportunity. There are people out there that would kill for a guy from Firecracker to call them, but no one out there has gotten their way." Miley reached out and rested her hand on Nick's cheek. "Sweetie, they chose you. They could have chosen anybody in this country but they didn't. They want _you. _You can't just act like that isn't a big deal. You can't let anything stand in the way of this." She smiled softly. "This was your dream, remember?"

Nick chuckled. "Baby, that was before I grew up. That was before I had responsibilities. Now I have bills to pay, people to look after, a job to go to. There are no guarantees in the music industry. You know that as well as I do. I can't put everything on the line for something that might just end in disaster." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Besides, I have everything I need here."

"You need to be happy."

"I _am _happy."

Miley sighed and looked into Nick's eyes. She felt her heart melt slightly just by looking into them. "I got to live my dream. I opened my hotel, just like I always wanted. I just ... Like I said, I got to live my dream. I just want you to do the same."

"I have my dream. I have you."

Miley stayed silent for a few moments. "That isn't all there is to it though, is it?" she said softly.

He furrowed his eyebrows, not quite sure where she was taking the conversation. "Miley, what's going on?" he asked.

"I want you to be happy."

"I told you, Mi, I _am_ happy."

She ignored his response and sighed. "Does being happy include me?" she whispered. She looked away in order to avoid his gaze. She couldn't handle the expression she knew was on his face – disappointment, shock, sadness.

"How could you even ask a question like that?" His tone was quiet yet to Miley, it felt like he was yelling into a microphone. "Of course being happy includes you. You're what makes me happy." He reached out and took her hand. "Did you not listen to a word I said before? God knows what I would've done if you didn't make it out of that bar."

Miley narrowed her eyes slightly as she gathered the courage to look at him. She moved her eyes up to his face and tried to work out the facial expression. Disappointment? No, she knew his disappointment face and that wasn't it. The facial expression Nick had was something completely indescribable. It was completely new to Miley.

"How did it feel?"

Nick shook his head. "Mi, what are you talking about?" he asked.

She handed him his phone and smiled. "When they called you. How did it feel?" When her question was answered by silence, she chuckled. "Come on, Nick. You must have felt something. Tell me about it."

Nick sighed and looked into her eyes, focusing on her sparkling blue eyes and _only_ them. "I guess it felt good." He smiled to himself. "I guess I felt special. As if Firecracker had thought I was talented. As if they thought I was one in a million." He sighed once again. "I guess I felt kind of amazed."

Miley giggled. "Amazed?"

Nick nodded. "I mean, Firecracker is probably the biggest label in the country, or is at least one of them. And they chose _me_. I'm just a normal guy and they chose me, Miley. Out of all the people that would kill to be called by Firecracker, they called me. I guess I was just kind of amazed by the fact that somebody out there thought that I was talented."

Miley smiled and rested a soft hand on Nick's cheek. "_I_ thought you were talented," she whispered to him, their faces only centimetres apart at that point in time.

Nick grinned at her. "You don't count," he teased her.

Miley smacked his chest playfully and giggled. "I'm being serious!" she said. She then leaned even closer and smiled softly. "You're an amazing person, both inside and out, Nick. You have talent, and I mean that. I meant it in high school, I meant it in college and I mean it now. Your songs reach out to people and relate to them." She squeezed his hand tightly. "You deserve to be noticed. And if you go to that meeting and something comes of it, I'll be right there beside you every step of the way."

"You mean that?"

She placed a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. "I mean it now and I'll mean it every day for the rest of my life," she whispered. She intertwined their fingers and smiled as she looked down at their joined hands. "I love you, remember?"

Nick chuckled. "I'll never forget it, Mi."

* * *

The following day, Miley was discharged from the hospital. She had insisted on going to check on the hotel, so Nick had given in to her begging and had agreed to drive by on their way to Miley's house.

"I hope it's okay," Miley said nervously.

Nick took one hand off the wheel and squeezed Miley's hand. "Don't get too worried about it, Mi. I'm sure the insurance will cover any damage," he said. He immediately closed his mouth when he saw the death glare she gave him for even suggesting that there could be some damage.

When they pulled up outside the hotel, Miley got out as quickly as possible, or as quickly as a woman on crutches could get out of a car. She rushed over towards the front door and pushed it open with one of her crutches with Nick hot on her heels.

When she entered the hotel, a small gasp of shock escaped from her mouth. The hotel seemed absolutely fine. The furniture was moved around a bit and some fragile ornaments and lamps were broken, but otherwise, there was no damage. There were no collapsed ceilings or caved in walls. The hotel had made it through the earthquake with hardly a scratch.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered.

"See? It's fine," Nick said softly.

Miley hobbled over to the front desk on her crutches. "Nick, where are all my guests?" she asked quietly.

"They just have gone somewhere safer," he guessed. He walked over to her and reached out his hand. "Miley, come on. The hotel's fine. You should rest your leg and relax for a bit."

Miley glanced around the room one more time before nodding and allowing Nick to lead her back out to his car.

"What about my house? Is my house going to be okay?" she asked.

"We can only hope," Nick mumbled.

"Come on, then. Speed up a little. I want to get home _before_ the next century," she said, her tone frustrated. He told himself it was because she was tired but he knew that the worry about her home added to her frustration.

"I'm staying slow to let any emergency vehicles pass me," he replied calmly.

"I don't give a crap, to be quite honest with you, Nick. Just drive a little faster and get me home, 'kay?" she snapped. She then turned her head and began to stare out the window at her quickly passing surroundings.

Nick took a deep breath and kept his eyes on the road ahead of him. He knew not to get angry at her for being moody. She had been through a lot. Deep breaths would help, right?

He pulled into Miley's driveway and sighed. "Give me your keys," he said softly. She tossed her keys into his lap without a word. Nick sighed once again and got out of the car. "I'll be back in a second." He then slammed the car door shut and headed straight to Miley's front door.

He unlocked the door and took a step inside. The first thing he saw was destruction. Miley's hallway was completely ruined. The small table beside the door was lying across the wooden floor. The mirror that had been hanging on the wall was lying on the floor, shards of broken glass scattered around the floorboards. The door into Miley's bedroom was hanging off its hinges. He saw a broken window in the kitchen straight ahead of him. Everything was ruined in Miley's home.

The door behind him creaked. He spun around and saw Miley standing behind him. Her eyes were widened with horror as she looked around the place that she called home.

"My house," she whispered.

Nick reached out and helped her in, although it was difficult with her crutches. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked around. "Mi, maybe we should go," he said quietly. He awkwardly stuck his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, not quite sure what to say or do to make her feel better.

Miley shook her head and hobbled forward on her crutches. Nick reached out to help her from the broken glass, but Miley turned in to the living room and sat down on the couch, or at least what was left of it. She looked up at Nick.

"How did this happen?" she asked quietly.

Nick sighed and sat down beside her. He took her hand in his and kissed the side of her head. "I guess your place was just in a worse affected area than the hotel, Mi," he said softly into her ear.

Miley stared at the shards of glass around the French doors leading in to the kitchen. The small windows had all broken. Now, it was just the plain white wooden doors. Her television had toppled on to the ground and was currently under Miley's favourite lamp.

"B-But my hotel's fine. How can my house be like _this_?" she asked.

Nick shook his head. "I don't know, Mi. I really don't." He rose from his seat and headed towards the door. "I'll pack some stuff for you. You can't stay here while the place is so ..." He trailed off, not wanting to make Miley feel worse about the fact that her home was destroyed. "You head on out to the car. I'll be five or ten minutes." Nick then turned on his heel and went down the hall to Miley's bedroom.

He quickly put most of Miley's clothes, make-up and shoes, or at least the ones that she would need, into a couple of suitcases. He stuck her toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries into a small soap-bag and stuck it on top. He then quickly zipped up the suitcases and rushed out to the car.

Once the bags were in the car and both Nick and Miley were inside and ready to go, Nick went to put the keys in the ignition. Miley reached over and stopped him. Nick looked at her, confused. Her gaze stayed on her destroyed home.

"Mi?" he asked softly.

She turned to look at him. "Nick, where are we going to go?" she asked.

Nick's mind went blank. For the first time, it hit him that there was nowhere to go. Sure, there was the hotel, but it was nearly booked up. There was always his room that he was paying for, but he had been planning to move out and in to a new apartment in a few weeks.

"I don't know, Mi," he whispered.

"My parents' beach house?" Miley suggested.

Nick shook his head. "Too far away. We need to stay here."

Miley nodded. She hesitated for a second. "What about you and Selena's apartment?" she asked tentatively. She immediately looked down to avoid his gaze and began to pick at her fingernails.

Nick stayed silent. He had never thought about that. Of course, Selena was staying at the hospital and the chances were that, once she got out, she wouldn't want to live in the apartment that she had once shared with Nick. And he _was_ the one paying all the bills for that place. If they didn't stay there, it would be empty for months.

"If you feel uncomfortable doing that, it's totally cool. It was just a thought," Miley said quickly.

Nick shook his head. "No, it's fine. I think it's a good idea. We have nowhere else to go. We may as well go there," he said. He took her hand and looked in to her eyes. "Never mind me feeling uncomfortable. It's _you_ that I'm worried about. Are you sure you want to stay there?"

Miley stayed silent for a moment and then nodded. "Like you said, we have nowhere else to go."

Nick nodded. "Then we'll head to the apartment." He put the key in the ignition and reversed out of Miley's driveway. "But if you feel uncomfortable staying there, promise me that you'll let me know," he said.

Miley nodded again. "Don't worry, I will," she said, smiling softly at him.

* * *

_Where the hell am I?_

Miley's eyes fluttered open. She was greeted by an unfamiliar sight – a floor-to-ceiling window looking out over the city. She sat up slightly and looked around. She then smiled to herself and bit her lip slightly.

Nick was lying beside her with his arm hooked around her waist, fast asleep. Miley giggled slightly as she felt his grip on her tighten slightly. His dark curls were messy from his sleep the previous night.

Slowly, Miley unhooked Nick's arm from her waist and quietly slipped out of bed. She grabbed her crutches and went over to the two chairs by the window. She looked out over the city and sighed. She never could have imagined the destruction and devastation caused by the earthquake.

On a normal day, the streets would be packed, even if it was only 7am. There would be a huge traffic jam below, with cars and trucks beeping their horns. People would be walking along the sidewalks, chatting away to their friends or yelling into their phones. There would be that guy yelling the day's headlines across the street as he sold newspapers.

But that particular day, the streets were empty. There was no traffic jam. No horns beeping. No people walking. No newspaper guy. The street below was quiet for 7am.

"Miley?" Miley turned her head. Nick was sitting up in bed, watching her. He rubbed his eyes and smiled at her. "You okay?" he asked. He slipped out of bed and walked over to her.

She smiled up at him. "I'm fine. Just thinking," she said softly. She took his hand and squeezed it. "How can only little thing destroy everything in everybody's lives?" She looked up at him. "I mean, look around. Nobody's out. I can already see about five collapsed buildings just from here. There are so many people lying in hospital beds and even in morgues. There are so many dead. So many people are mourning over the dead. And all because of one earthquake." The last bit came out as a whisper as her gaze returned to the city outside.

Nick watched her face for a moment. He then understood. She felt guilty.

"You don't have to feel guilty, you know," he whispered. He got down on his knees beside her and took her hands into his own.

Miley looked at him. "Why not?"

Nick kissed her hand and closed his eyes. "You were lucky, Mi. You made it out alive. It isn't your fault that you were in a safer place in that bar than some others. Getting out of that was a miracle for anybody. Don't take it for granted. The deaths of those other people is _not_ your fault, you understand? You were lucky."

Miley stayed silent. Her gaze travelled back to the window. "But why me?" she whispered.

"God only knows, Mi." He followed her gaze out onto the city in front of them. "We can't dwell on why or how it happened. We can just be thankful that you're okay."

Miley nodded slightly. She lifted her gaze and looked at him. She leaned down slightly. "Thank you," she whispered. She placed a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. "You really are helping me get through this."

Nick gave her another kiss and smiled. "I can't have my girl being unhappy, can I?"

* * *

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE."

The scream echoed through the apartment. Miley came rushing out of the bedroom. She froze in the middle of the living room. She was unable to move at the sight in front of her.

Nick was standing a few steps ahead of her, staring at a woman who was about a foot ahead of him. The woman was glaring at Nick, her eyes filled with fury and rage. Her gaze turned to Miley, and she took a step forward.

"What the fuck is _she _doing here?"

"Mandy, calm down."

_Ah_, Miley thought. _Looks like Selena's mom is in town._ Miley took a step further in an attempt to distance herself from the angry woman. Selena's mother continued to glare at Miley as Nick stood protectively in front of Miley.

It had been two weeks since Miley had gotten out of hospital. Soon, the decorators would be going in to her house to fix the damage and then she'd be back in her own home.

"How _dare_ you!" Mandy spat at Nick. "You're living in the home you shared with your _wife_, my daughter, with _her_!" She raised a finger and pointed it directly at Miley. "Get your little _whore_ out of this apartment, Nicholas, right now."

Nick took a step towards Mandy. "I think you'll find, Mandy, that _I_ bought this apartment. I pay the bills and my name is on the deed. I can live in my home with whoever I want to live with. Selena is currently in the hospital and we had nowhere else to go. I suggest that you stop telling me who to kick out of my apartment, thank you," he said cooly.

Mandy's eyes narrowed slightly. "How can you be so heartless?" she whispered.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"My daughter has been through hell and back because of you. She's been sitting in a hospital for two weeks, waiting to be told she can leave. Because of you, she's on medication. She's cried herself to sleep for nights on end. And while she's been having the worst time of her life, you've been fucking your little slut in her apartment," she hissed.

Nick stiffened. "You have no idea what this has been like for me?"

Mandy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I'm sure it's been so difficult, Nicholas. I'm sure that it's so hard to live in a nice warm apartment and constantly having sex with some random girl," she said.

Nick narrowed his eyes and took a step towards Mandy. "Take that back," he said through gritted teeth.

Miley reached out and grabbed Nick's arm. "Nick, calm down," she said softly.

Nick stayed where he was. He stood tensely in front of Mandy. He shook his head at his mother in law. "Do you think I actually wanted to hurt Selena? I married her because I loved her. There was a time in my life when she was the only person I really cared about. She's my _wife,_ Mandy. Of course I never wanted to hurt her. But personally, I'd rather Selena be married to a man who loves her with everything inside of him than a man who has to force himself to be in love with her." He turned on his heel and headed towards the bedroom. At the door, he turned to look at his mother. "And for your information? Miley and I haven't had sex out of _respect_ for your daughter. I wasn't going to hurt Selena more by having sex with Miley when she was in the damn hospital." Nick then walked in to the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Miley and Mandy were left standing in the living room, an awkward silence almost deafening them.

Miley looked at Mandy. "You know, if I could change the way Nick and I happened, I would. Selena was one of my best friends. I would never intentionally hurt her. But Nick's right. Selena deserves somebody who is happy to be with her and only her, not a man who's in love with another woman," she said.

Mandy scoffed. "You think Nick's in love with you? Oh, please. Nick's like a child and you're his new toy. Once he gets bored of the newbie, he'll come back to the original, and that's my daughter." Mandy then turned on her heel and stormed out of the apartment.

Miley immediately went after her on her crutches. "Hey!" she yelled down the hallway.

Mandy turned around. "Get back inside, Miley. I'm finished with this conversation," she snapped.

"Yeah, well I'm not. How dare you even suggest that. You have no fucking idea about what my relationship with Nick is like. And FYI? _Selena_ was the newbie, not me. I've known Nick since I was a kid." Miley shook her head at Miley. "You know, Selena's one of the nicest people I have ever met. I just don't see how that happened when she has a bitch of a mother like you," she said. She then turned and went back inside the apartment.

When she slammed the door shut, the bedroom door opened and Nick looked out. "Is the monster in law gone?" he asked.

Miley nodded and went over to the couch. She sat down and sighed. She buried her face in her hands. Nick came over and put an arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and placed a hand on Miley's knee.

"Forget what Mandy said. She knows nothing about us," he whispered into her ear.

Miley looked up at him. "Nick?"

"Mm?"

"When does Selena get out of hospital?" Miley asked.

Nick stayed silent. Joe had told him that Selena would be released in a few days, but he hadn't told Miley. He didn't want to worry her about any possible bitch fights that Selena could start.

"A few days," he said finally.

"Oh."

Nick reached over and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about it. You won't have to see her. Joe said that she's staying with him and Dem for a while and then she's going home to live with her mom for a while. It will be fine." He kissed her head. "It will all be fine."

* * *

"So she never showed?"

"Nope."

Demi took a sip from her coffee cup and sighed. She looked over at Miley, who was staring at her with wide eyes, shocked by what Demi had told her.

"So she just went straight to her mom's?" Miley asked.

Demi nodded. "Looks like it. Her mom texted me and told me not to worry since Selena was with her." She put her cup down on her coffee table and sighed. "I guess it's what's best for everybody. I mean, she doesn't want to deal with you or Nick but you and I are talking all the time and Nick is Joe's brother. I guess it made sense for her to go home, you know?"

Miley took a sip from her coffee. "I just want to know why she didn't let anyone know that she was leaving."

"Mi, she's been humiliated. Her husband cheated on her with his best friend." When she saw the look on Miley's face, Demi smiled. "I don't mean it like that. I just mean that she knows that everybody around here is talking about what happened with you, her and Nick. I guess she just wanted to leave quietly so as to avoid any more whispering or gossip," she explained.

Miley nodded. "I never got to properly apologise. I mean, I never got to sit down with her and talk about everything that happened between us all," she said, her voice filled with regret.

Demi reached out to Miley and smiled. "I think Selena knows how sorry you are about how things happened. Don't worry, I'm sure some day, she'll understand." Demi then grinned at Miley. "On a brighter note, Joe tells me that you and Nick are planning a romantic getaway next month." She winked at Miley.

Miley blushed. "Hopefully the cast will be off by then. The doctor says it should take maybe four more weeks to heal my leg. We booked it for five weeks from now." She smiled. "Gosh, Demi, I'm so excited. I mean, this is our first proper vacation as a proper couple. No more lies or secrets, just us."

Demi smiled. "I'm so happy for you, Mi. Really, I am. I'm so glad that you've finally found somebody that deserves you," she said.

Miley smiled as she looked up at Demi and Joe's fireplace. A picture of the four of them in high school caught her eye. Nick's arm was around her waist and the four of them were laughing. They all looked so happy, even then. "So am I, Dem," she whispered.

**Hellooo! :) I'm such a horrible updater, I know. I'm so sorry that I made you all wait so long for this. I wish I could come up with a better excuse, but the truth is that I was super busy. I have so much homework and then I spent like ALL of last weekend with my friends. I haven't had an extra minute to sit down and just write. So I'm sorry about that. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know I'm skipping through a lot and going really fast, and I'll be skipping like five weeks in the next chapter so it will be set when Nick and Miley go away, but the next few chapters will be good with Nick and Miley's vacation and then all the wedding preparation for Demi and Joe and then the wedding itself will take up like two or three chapters, knowing me. And we will, of course, see what happens with Nick and his music career!**

**So yeah. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Review, please. It would mean a lot to me. I love hearing what you all have to say about the chapters. It's really interesting to hear what other people think of my work.**

**Thanks to fallingstar2008, heartvibe, xmileylovex, skatergurl2789, RhondaAnn1, lovetowrite07, TheMsBrandy1, thousandreasons and LaLaLax6 for your reviews on the last chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning: This chapter is rated M. I'll let you know when the M bit begins.**

"Here we are!"

Nick slammed the car door shut and looked up at the beach house in front of him. He and Miley were renting a beach house in Laguna Beach for a week. He opened the trunk of his car and got their bags out.

Miley walked around the car and met him at the trunk. She slipped her hand into his and bit her lip as she looked up at him. "This week is going to be amazing," she whispered to him.

Nick slammed the trunk closed with his free hand and grinned at her. He slipped his arms around her waist and planted a small kiss on her forehead. "Just you and me," he whispered back to her. He swung his duffle bag over his shoulder and pulled up the handle on Miley's suitcase. "Ready to go in?" he asked.

Miley nodded. Hand in hand, they walked towards the door of the beach house. They reached the front steps and saw a brown envelope on the door-mat with Nick's name on it. Nick picked up the envelope. Inside was the key to the house and some information about the house.

They quickly got inside. Nick put their bags down in the hallway and wrapped an arm around Miley's waist. He looked down at her. "Want to go upstairs and unpack?" he asked.

Miley hesitated, then shook her head. "No, I can't really be bothered at the minute." She grinned up at him. "Let's head out onto the beach," she said. She took his hand and pulled him out the back door and on to the deck. She then pulled him quickly down the steps and onto the sand, leaving their shoes behind them on the deck.

Nick stood in front of Miley with his back to her. "Hop on," he said.

Miley jumped onto Nick's back. She hooked her legs through his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Okay, let's go," she said.

Nick began to walk slowly along the beach. "You know, I think this vacation will do us some good." He looked over his shoulder at her. "I think that both of us really needed to get away from home for a bit and just relax together."

Miley smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think so." She hesitated. "Nick?"

"Mm?"

"Have you thought any more about that meeting with Carson Davidson?" she asked cautiously.

Nick stopped and stood still on the sand. He stared out at the ocean ahead of him and sighed. "I guess so, yeah," he said softly.

"And?" Miley asked, rubbing his chest softly with her hand.

Nick paused. "I think I'll go for it. I mean, what harm can it do? It's just a meeting. I'll see where it takes things. I have a ton of songs that I want people to hear anyway." He grinned as he glanced at her over his shoulder. "You in particular, to be honest."

Miley smiled happily. "So you're going to go for it?" she exclaimed. Nick nodded. She squealed and hugged him tightly from behind. "Oh my gosh, Nick, I'm so happy for you!"

Nick chuckled. "Woah, calm down a little bit, Mi. It's nothing big. It's just a meeting. We'll see where it goes, okay?" He turned his head and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I love you, Mi. Forever and always," he whispered.

Miley smiled and closed her eyes, taking in the moment, breathing in the smell, remembering every single detail of that instant. It was _perfect_. "I love you too, Nick," she whispered into his ear.

Nick started walking again. They continued down the beach in a comfortable silence.

"Nick?"

"Yeah, Miles?"

Miley hesitated again. "How did it feel? I mean, after the earthquake, before I got out. How did it feel when you were waiting?" she asked. She bit her lip nervously. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just wondering how it was for you," she said. She said the last bit quickly, filled with nerves.

Nick shook his head. "You really want to know?" He felt Miley nod her head against his shoulder. "I was terrified." He continued to walk as he stared straight ahead. "I thought you were dead. I just kept thinking that I myself would rather die than have to go through the pain of losing you." He sighed. "God, Mi, I was so scared."

Miley frowned slightly to herself. "I'm sorry, baby," she whispered.

Nick chuckled and smiled at her. "Hey, it isn't your fault. You couldn't have stopped that earthquake even if you had known what was going to happen." His smile grew. "I know you would have if you could have." He shook his head and walked slightly faster. "Forget it, Mi. It's over now. You're better. Like I said before, let's just be grateful that you're okay. Let's not dwell on what happened any more."

"Nick? I really do love you. You know that, right?" Miley whispered into his ear.

He smiled to himself and glanced out at the sun setting on the ocean. "Yeah, Mi. I know." He looked at her over his shoulder. "I love you too."

She lifted one hand from his chest and ran her fingers through his curls. "Just you and me this week, right?" She sighed happily. "How about we just leave behind everything that's happened over the past few months with us and Selena and everything else and just spend some time together?" she whispered.

Nick grinned at her. "You know, Mi, that sounds amazing right about now."

* * *

_It's going to happen_.

Those four words kept repeating themselves inside Miley's head. They had been echoing inside her mind since she had woken up in the new bed at the beach house that morning, and she was not about to let them go easily.

_She and Nick would have sex in Laguna Beach._

Miley had to admit that, at the beginning, she was more than happy to not have sex with Nick. In fact, she had been the one to suggest that they leave the sex until everything with Selena was over and done with. She had suggested it partly out of respect for Selena, but also because she didn't want to make herself feel any worse than she felt.

But Selena was gone. She left town only a fortnight after the earthquake had struck. Nick had received a letter from her lawyer about the divorce. He and Selena were finally over. It had struck Miley four weeks after the earthquake that she no longer owed Selena anything. Selena and Nick would soon be divorced and Selena had decided to leave. That no longer had anything to do with Miley.

She and Nick would have sex. Sure, Nick didn't know that fact but it was hardly like he would decline. There had been sexual tension building between them for weeks. There had been moments when it had almost happened but one of them had stopped it, or when they bumped into one another in a confined space and ended up being pressed together.

She wanted it. She knew that to some people, she probably sounded like a whore, but she didn't see the problem with wanting to have sex with someone she was in love with.

There was a knock on the bathroom door, interrupting Miley from her thoughts.

"Mi, you ready for the beach?"

Miley smiled at the sound of Nick's voice through the door. "You go on down there. I'll meet you out there in about five minutes," she called back. She heard him walk away down the hallway and turned to face the mirror and grinned at her image.

She was wearing a shimmery pink bikini. The top, which acted as a push-up bra, tied at the neck and had a centre twist detail. The bottoms, which matched the top, had string ties at either side. Her large white-rimmed sunglasses rested on top of her head. Her natural brunette curls flowed over her shoulders. She had a light coating of mascara and lip gloss on.

_This week's the time_, she thought.

If he didn't have the idea himself to have sex, she would tease him and torture him until he wanted it. She couldn't wait any longer. They were finally alone and away from home. This was their chance to have some romantic time alone. This was their vacation and she wasn't about to let it go free.

* * *

Nick lay down on his towel with his sunglasses on and his white v-neck lying on the sand beside him. He glanced back up at the back door. No sign of Miley. He glanced back at the shimmering ocean and sighed contentedly.

He had so many plans for the week with Miley. Romantic walks along the beach, midnight picnics in the sand, watching the sun set over the water, take her out to dinner, head to the funfair that was in town of the summer (he knew she loved them), everything that Laguna Beach had to offer. He wanted to enjoy every single second that he had alone with Miley. He was going to make sure that she got the best vacation she could ask for.

"Nick!"

Nick turned his head at the sound of Miley's voice and glanced back at the door heading out onto the deck. There was nobody there. The glass door then slid open, revealing Miley. Nick's jaw dropped at the sight.

She walked over the deck, a towel hanging over her arm and her magazine in her hand, and down the steps to Nick. "Have you got the sun screen?" she asked him casually. She carefully put her towel down beside Nick's and sat down with her legs crossed.

Nick gulped and held up the sun screen without a word. He carefully watched as she took it from his hand and started to slowly apply some to her body.

He had never seen Miley looking so _sexy_. He hated using words like sexy and hot to describe women, but the situation he was in called for it. That bikini, that body, it was so hard for him not to reach out and pull her on top of him. She looked _amazing_. He doubted that there was a woman that could like better in what Miley was wearing than she did. To him, she was perfect.

"You okay?" Miley asked, smiling at Nick.

He hadn't realised that he had been staring at her the whole time. He shook his head to push away the thoughts he was having of all the things he could and willingly would do to Miley and smiled at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Miley smiled again. "Good." She help up the sun screen. "Turn around, you'll burn your back. I'll help you." She kneeled up behind him and gently started rubbing sun screen on his back.

Nick closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to hold in the groan of pleasure that was threatening to escape from his mouth. Was she _trying_ to torture him?

"There you go!" She tossed the sun screen into his lap and went back to her own towel. She lay down on her back and slid her sunglasses down over her eyes. She lay in silence.

Nick stared at her, amazed. How was she not equally as frustrated as he was at that moment? She was basically throwing herself at him and she was acting as if nothing was going on. She was dressed in possibly the sexiest bikini she owned, she had rubbed sun screen on him, and to top it all off, she was only on the beach for about five minutes and she had already moved into about ten different positions on her towel that Nick found all equally provocative.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Miley asked in an attempt to start up a conversation.

"I was thinking that maybe we could just stay in. Dinner out on the deck, watch the sun set, all of that," Nick said slowly. He carefully watched her face for a reaction. "But if you want, we can go out to dinner or a movie or something. Whatever you want."

"No, staying here sounds good," she replied. "I was hoping to talk to you tonight anyway." She lowered her sunglasses slightly and grinned. "And I doubt it's the kind of conversation you'd want to have in public," she teased.

Nick's eyes widened slightly, but not enough for Miley to notice, at her comment. _It looks like her subtle little hints are back_, he thought. There was no doubt about it. What Miley wanted to talk to him about was _exactly_ what he wanted to talk to her about – sex.

Nick smiled slightly to make her think that he wasn't nervous inside about their 'conversation'. "And what conversation is this, exactly?" he asked softly. He leaned in closer to her slightly.

Miley smirked without looking at him. "I suppose you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" she replied. She reached over and grabbed a bottle of water from Nick's possessions and took a sip. She tossed it back to him and smirked again. "Thanks for the drink."

* * *

"She's killing me."

It was 4pm that afternoon. Miley was out at the store to buy ingredients for dinner. Nick was standing out on the deck, his phone pressed against his ear, waiting for Joe to answer him.

"Bro, what the hell are you talking about?" Joe asked, his voice muffled slightly.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Joe, spit your food out and listen to me." He paused. "Miley is literally acting like some kind of fucking sex goddess or something. She's been walking around in this little bikini thing _all _day. She's torturing me, man."

"... I take it that you want to have sex with her, then?" Joe asked slowly.

"Yes, Joe. I want to have sex with her. God, she's been acting so ... I don't know. All day she's been dropping all these little hints. Joe, you have to help me. What do I do?"

Joe paused. "Well, Nick, Miley has a little -"

"La la la la la! I know how sex works, Joe. I was married, remember?" Nick said.

"You still _are _married," Joe corrected him.

Nick groaned. "Technically, yes, but – whatever. Are you going to help me or not? I don't know what I'm supposed to do tonight. I don't even know if she wants to tonight, but she's damn well acting like she does."

Joe sighed. "Look, man. If she's anything like Demi, which I'm damn sure she is, she'll want it to be romantic. You're in Laguna Beach." He paused. "What are you doing tonight with her? Are you going out or staying in?" he asked.

"She's making dinner. We're just going to hang out on the deck. You know, watch the sunset and stuff," Nick replied.

"That's perfect! Dude, you know what? Just play some music, light some candles, buy some flowers. Make the deck look really romantic. That always makes Demi putty in my hands. At dinner, just talk to her about the whole sex issue. Tell her that you and Selena are properly finished so you no longer see the need to have virginal relationship. Selena's gone. She's out of the picture. Tell her that you think that the both of you need to move on," Joe said.

Nick heard the car pull into the driveway and glanced out the window. Sure enough, Miley was gathering things out of the trunk and getting ready to come in. "Thanks, man. Hey, Miley's back. I'll talk to you soon." Nick then quickly hung up and stuck his phone in his pocket just as Miley pushed open the side door into the kitchen.

She smiled over at him. "Hey, Nick," she said softly.

Nick smiled back at her and grabbed his wallet from the counter. "I'll be back in a little bit. I need to run out and get some things."

Miley grabbed his arm and looked at him, confused. "What do you need? I would have gotten it for you while I was out if I had known," she said gently.

Nick smiled and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about it, Mi," he said. Gently, he reached for the keys from her hand and slipped them into his own. "Like I said, I'll be back in a little bit." He kissed her nose. "Why don't you start making dinner?" he suggested.

Miley frowned slightly. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"We can talk about it at dinner." Nick wrapped an arm around her and hugged her. He smirked. He knew _exactly_ what Miley wanted to talk to him about. But two could play at her little torture game. He could play it _just_ as well as she could. And he damn well would.

* * *

"This is beautiful," Miley said softly.

She and Nick were sitting at the table on the deck. Nick had put candles all around the railing of the deck, just like Joe had suggested, and had bought Miley some roses. He, however, saw the music as a bit cheesy so left Joe's suggestion of soft music playing in the background out of his plan.

Miley had made them lasagne, Nick's favourite. She had bought a bottle of the best red wine at the grocery store.

"So," Miley said. She put her knife and fork on her empty plate and smiled at Nick. "About that conversation."

Nick smiled. "I actually had something to say to you too."

Miley opened her hands, signalling him to speak. "You go first," she said, a smile ever present on her face. She looked truly happy to be spending time with him.

"It's about us," Nick said. "We've been together for a while now. I think it's time to maybe take our relationship ... to the next step, if you know what I mean."

Miley nodded. "Continue ..." she whispered quietly. The smile never left her face. In fact, the smile just kept growing. She _definitely_ knew where Nick was taking the conversation.

"Mi, I love you. I love you so much that you've become the most important thing in my life." He smiled and reached out to take her hand. He gently squeezed it. "You've done amazingly well over the last few weeks. You've made an amazing recovery from your injuries after the earthquake. I am so, so proud of you." He closed his eyes to capture the moment. "Selena's gone. She's moving on. I just ... we don't owe her anything anymore. This is all about you and me. I just want to know ... Are you ready?"

Miley bit her lip and smiled. She stayed silent. Instead of giving him an answer, she slowly nodded her head, her smile growing each and every time her head moved.

Nick grinned back. "I'll take that as a yes."

Miley slowly rose from her seat and smirked. "You can _definitely_ take that as a yes," she said. She slowly walked inside the house, leaving Nick alone at the table.

Nick watched in silent, his mouth hanging, not quite sure what to do. He quickly rose from the table and rushed around the deck, blowing out all the candles. He then took a deep breath and slowly started going into the beach house. He slowly climbed the back stairs from the kitchen straight to the main hallway of the next floor. He steadily headed towards their bedroom.

When he reached their closed bedroom door, he placed his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. A smile grew on his face as he closed his eyes and thought about what was about to happen with Miley. It would just be them together, showing each other how much they loved them. He knew right there that it would be magical just because it was with her.

Nick then turned the doorknob and entered the bedroom. He saw that the bedroom was empty. The lights were off. The only source of light in the room was two candles – one on each of the two bedside cabinets. There was also a small crack of light under the ensuite bathroom door.

Nick slowly sat down on the bed and smiled to himself. It was finally about to happen. He was finally about to be with Miley, and _really _be with her. He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the bathroom lock turning on the other side of the door. He shot up straight and stared at the door, waiting for Miley.

**The M bit starts now. If you want to read it, go ahead and read it. If not, it's your own responsibility to stop reading now. I'll put an A/N when the M part is over.**

The door slowly swung open. Miley slowly stepped out. What she was wearing caused Nick's jaw to drop. She was wearing a black baby-doll with an empire waist and a satin bow. Nick could see a matching pair of black silk panties under the baby-doll. She was also wearing black stilettos.

She smiled at him and slowly walked closer to him, further into the candlelit room. "Hey," she said softly, stopping right in front of the bed.

Nick gulped and stared at her. "H-Hi," he whispered. He didn't want to say anything else. He knew that if anything else came from his mouth, he'd stutter and stumble over his words and nothing would come out right. He reached out and took her hand. He couldn't help but grin like an idiot. She looked _amazing_.

Miley bit her lip and ran her spare hand through his curls. "You took a while, baby," she whispered quietly to him. She then put her arms around his neck and smiled down at him. "I missed you."

Nick felt all his fears and all his nerves fade away as he looked up into her eyes. She made it all seem so easy. She made it seem like they were the only two people on the planet that mattered and that there was nothing else that could come between them.

"I was just putting out the candles," he replied, his voice soft and gentle.

Miley gently pressed against his chest, pushing him onto his back. She then crawled between his legs and smirked. "I'm going to make this the best night of your life, baby," she whispered in his ear, twirling his curls around her finger and nibbling gently at his ear.

He moaned quietly. "I won't be complaining," he responded.

Miley giggled into his ear and sat up on her knees. "Move further up onto the bed," she ordered. Nick immediately budged further up the bed and waited impatiently for her to do whatever she was planning. She then lay on top of him horizontally and smirked at him, her face only millimetres away from his. "Are you comfortable?" she asked softly.

"More comfortable than I've ever been in my life," he whispered back. He moved his hand up to her hair and smiled. "God, Mi, you're so beautiful," he whispered into her ear.

She blushed slightly and looked down. "I promised I'd make this the best night of your life and I plan to keep that promise," she said.

Nick shook his head. "Mi, this will be the best night of my life, no matter what we do or how we do it. I'm with you and we're alone. That's all I need, baby. You don't need to put so much pressure on yourself if you don't want to," he replied.

It was Miley's turn to shake her head. "You have no idea how much I want to, Nick." She smirked. "Let's get started, shall we?" She moved her hands to his plaid shirt and in a slow manner, almost painfully slow, she undid the buttons.

When she got to the end, he lifted his torso slightly and shrugged it off. Miley threw it over her shoulder, not caring where it landed. She then moved her hands to his jeans and smirked when she saw his chocolate eyes cloud over, filled with lust and desire.

"Don't worry, baby," she said, her voice low. "We've got all night."

She slowly undid the buckle on his belt, undid the button of his jeans and pulled down the zip. He raised his waist and quickly slipped off the jeans, leaving him just in his boxers. She smiled slightly at him and ran a finger down his chest.

"You know," he said. His voice had gone so quickly from quiet and soft to husky and deep. He smirked. "I'm lying here in my boxers and I haven't done anything to you just yet." He slipped a finger under the strap of her baby-doll and bit his lip slightly. "I think I'd quite like to see you with that off."

She leaned down so that her lips were almost touching his. "All in good time, sweetie," she said softly.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, she pressed her lips against his. She put a leg on either side of him, straddling him, and they both sat up. He put one hand behind her head and he let the other rest on her lower back, pressing her closer and closer to him until she couldn't be pressed any closer to him. They had hands running up and down each others bodies, touching and feeling each other in ways they never had before.

Nick moved away from Miley's lips and immediately began to attack her neck. Miley moaned in pleasure and grasped his curls desperately. "God, I love you," she moaned.

Soon enough, both of them pulled away. Miley smirked at Nick. "I have something you might like," she said softly into his ear. She then unhooked the back of the baby-doll and let it drop into Nick's lap.

Nick's eyes widened as her bare breasts were sitting right in front of his eyes. He glanced from the baby-doll to Miley's face, then to her breasts again. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. The woman of his dreams was sitting on his lap, topless, practically throwing herself at him. He could feel himself harden beneath her. _That's it_, he thought. _I've had enough of this_.

Nick put his hands on Miley's waist and pulled her against him. He flipped them over so that he was on top of her. He immediately kissed her. His kiss was filled with desire. Passion. Lust. He wanted her. He needed her.

Miley, while still kissing him, quickly pulled down his boxers. The only thing left between them was her tiny pair of black silk panties. She pulled away from him and allowed him to burrow his face into her chest. She moaned and sighed in pleasure, wrapping her legs around him and pressing his naked body closer to her.

He hooked a finger on either side of her panties, ready to pull them down. Miley unwrapped her legs from him and allowed him to take them off and throw them casually across the room. He then removed his face from her chest and looked up at her.

"And you're sure about this?" he asked softly.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life," she breathed in response.

Nick nodded and reached over to the bedside cabinet. He quickly pulled a condom out of the drawer and opened it, fumbling with his fingers.

Miley smiled and took it from him. "Let me," she whispered. She took the condom out of the foil wrapper and slowly moved her hands down to him. Slowly and carefully, she rolled the condom onto him and smiled at him. "Ready?" she asked.

Nick grinned. "I've never been more ready," he replied.

Miley took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "Okay, let's go," she said softly.

Nick nodded and positioned himself between her legs. He took a deep breath and slowly pushed himself into her. He watched as she closed her eyes and wrapped her legs around him again. She let out a small moan.

Nick buried his face in her neck and pushed again, pushing further into her. He loved hearing her moan in his ear. He loved to hear her cry out his name in pleasure. More than anything, he loved being inside her and being with her in a way that he never had before. He loved _her_. He loved the situation he was in. He loved every second and every detail of what was happening to him.

"Oh my God, Nick," she cried. "Oh my God, you're fucking amazing."

Nick smirked into her neck and nibbled slightly. "Fuck, Miley, I love you," he mumbled. He pushed harder each time, making her cry out louder each time he pushed harder. "Mi, I'm about to -"

"Me too, baby, me too."

Moments later, Miley cried out. Moments after that, Nick collapsed on top of her. He rested his head on her chest and sighed. He didn't pull out of her. Instead, they just lay together, wrapped around one another, happy just to be together and live in the moment.

"Fucking hell, that was good."

**Okay, guys, M part is over (:**

* * *

The following morning, Nick woke up with a smile on his face. He glanced under the covers. _Yup, still naked._ He glanced over at Miley. She had her arms wrapped around his torso and was sleeping with a smile on her face. He smiled as he remembered the night before. It had been just as amazing as he had imagined.

He shifted to try and get out to make them some breakfast, but he accidentally awoke Miley. Her eyes gradually fluttered open. She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey you," she whispered.

Nick smiled back at her and twirled her hair around her finger. "Good sleep?" he asked. He glanced at the floor to ceiling window looking out on the ocean. The beach was already getting busy.

Miley bit her lip and rested a hand on his chest. "The best." She paused. "Last night was truly amazing, Nick," she said softly to him. She began to rub circles on his tan chest with her thumb. "I mean it. I don't think a guy has ever made me feel so sexy before. You made me feel like I was the most ... desirable woman in the world. Thank you," she said.

Nick grinned. "You did it all yourself, angel," he said to her gently. He kissed her hand. "How about some breakfast?" he suggested. He sat up and reached for his boxers beside the bed. He quickly pulled them on and turned to look at her. "Coming?"

Miley nodded. She wrapped one of the sheets around her and got up. They walked hand in hand down to the kitchen. When they got there, Miley pulled herself up onto one of the breakfast bar stools. Nick turned to the fridge to get out some bacon and eggs.

When he turned around, his eyes widened. Miley was standing about a foot away – without her sheet. She smirked at him and put her hand on her hip.

"How do you feel about round two?"

**HI GUYS! :D That was quick, huh? I decided I would get in two updates this weekend. I felt bad that next week, there won't be an update. That's because it's my big brother's 18th on the Friday, then I'm going out on Saturday evening and then I have a concert on the Sunday to go to. So yeah, take this as next week's update! :D **

**I kind of want to talk to you guys about reviews. Look, I'm not pushy about reviews, I don't think. I understand that sometimes, there are circumstances like time and not reading the latest update and things like that which stop people from reviewing. I was just wondering if maybe some of you could review a little more? I mean, it just gets kind of frustrating that you work so hard for something and then people just go on without even saying two words like 'Loved it' or 'Good work'. There's always a fall in reviews from when something dramatic happens and then the next chapter it's just like 'Eh, not that big a deal, I'll move on'. I won't say anything more about it. I will, however, repeat the fact that you CAN review, even if you don't have an account. Just review anonymously.**

**Thanks to everytimeyousmilex (Thank you so so much. That means so much to me, no joke), thousandreasons, TheMsBrandy1, lovetowrite07 (I was thinking about them as well. It's so sad), fallingstar2008, xmileylovex, LaLaLax6 (Tut tut, reading in class :L Tell the teacher to fo. No, kidding) and skatergurl2789 for your reviews on the last chapter.**

**I would like to dedicate the chapters on the earthquake to all the people in Japan at the minute. It's so sad what they're going through. My thoughts and prayers are with them. I know the things that I wrote are nothing compared to what those people are going through right now, but I'd still like to dedicate those chapters to them. May the deceased rest in peace and may those who survived eventually rebuild their lives x**


	16. Chapter 16

**This is a rated M story. From now on, there will be no more warnings for sex scenes. You as readers were informed from about the third chapter that the rating had been changed from T to M. Just a heads up :) **

"So next Friday at eleven o'clock? Yes, that's perfect. Thank you."

Nick hung up and looked at Miley. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand tightly. He had just re-scheduled his meeting with Carson Davidson about his music.

"So that's the meeting sorted?" Miley asked. She leaned rolled her lips in, smiling hopefully at him.

He nodded and wrapped an arm around her. He grinned down at her. "That's it sorted. Next Friday at eleven." He noticed the look on her face and chuckled. "Don't worry. The rehearsal for the wedding doesn't start until, like, five. I'll be finished ages before the rehearsal even stars," he said.

She sighed contentedly. "I'm so proud of you," she said softly.

Nick planted a gentle kiss on top of her head. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet. There's nothing to be proud of just yet. It's only a meeting. We don't know if anything will come of it," he said, but he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

She let out a light giggle. "It's an achievement to even get a meeting with a label like Firecracker." She kissed his cheek gently and placed a hand on his chest. "Like I said, I'm so proud of you. Whatever comes of this meeting next week, I will be right there beside you, every single step of the way." She hooked their pinky fingers and giggled again. "I pinky promise, baby."

Nick smiled. He remembered how much a pinky promise used to mean between them. It was like some kind of pledge of honesty between them. From when they were kids until that moment in time, they had never once broken a pinky promise made to the other. Nick couldn't even remember why it meant so much to them. He guessed that it was the fact it gave them some kind of bond, a special connection, that neither of them wanted to lose.

"Pinky promise accepted," he said. "And I'll hold you to that."

Miley let out a laugh. God, he loved her laugh. "I have no doubt that you will," she replied. She intertwined their fingers and kissed his hand. "So, what are we doing today? You know, it _is_ the penultimate day to our vacation," she said.

Nick smiled and rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. "I have something planned for tomorrow night. How about we just head for a walk around town?" he suggested.

She nodded in response and slipped on her flip-flops, which were sitting under the coffee table. She allowed him to pull her out the front door and down the driveway. When they reached the end of the driveway, they slowed down and walked along the pavement and into town, hand in hand, happy to just be in each other's company.

"So," Nick said. He glanced over at her and smiled. "I take it you're excited for the wedding next week, then?" he asked.

Miley grinned. "Obviously. I'm so excited for Dem. They've been together for years. She's been waiting to marry Joe since high school. Next Saturday is her big day." She sighed happily. "She's going to look amazing. God, she's got it all planned out." She giggled and walked a bit closer to Nick. "What about, Mr Best Man? Excited to watch your big brother get married to Dem?" she asked, squeezing his hand slightly.

Nick smiled. "I guess so. I mean, it will feel a little weird to not have Joe around at my parents' house all the time with me, but I guess it won't feel any different. I mean, they already live together and they basically spend all their time together. Nothing much is going to change I guess." He nodded slowly. "But yeah, I'm pretty excited for the wedding."

She quickened their pace slightly as she began to skip along the concrete. She giggled and looked at him. "You know, Demi thinks that you sound like a far better boyfriend than Joe," she said casually. She stopped and bit her lip, eying his lips. "I won't lie, you _are_ rather amazing." She winked slightly. "In more ways than one."

His breath caught in his throat slightly. He had no idea how she had the ability to always make him feel the way he did around her. She always made him feel special. Always as though he was the only man she ever had and ever would think about in a sexual way. He knew that she wasn't a virgin. Hell, how could a woman who looked and acted like Miley be a virgin? He knew that she had been with plenty of guys before him. But she still managed to make him feel like he was the only one, or at least the only one she had actually cared enough about to take the relationship any further than sex.

He leaned in slightly closer to kiss her, but at that moment, she skilfully pulled away and skipped ahead. She sang as she skipped, purposely swaying her hips as she went in attempt to taunt and tease him, to drive him crazy thinking about her.

_Damn, that girl's got skill._

Nick jogged slightly to catch up with her. He grabbed her hand, turned her round to face him and grinned at her. "You can't get away that easily," he whispered, his lips only millimetres from hers. "I never got my kiss." He didn't give her the chance to reply. Instead, he quickly placed his lips over hers and kissed her softly. He then pulled away slowly and smiled. "All better," he whispered.

Miley smiled gently at him and squeezed his hand in her own. "This trip has been amazing, Nick. It's been one of the best trips of my life and it's all thanks to you. You made it perfect in every way possible, right down to the final little details," she said. She kissed him softly on the cheek and leaned closer to his ear. "Thank you," she whispered.

Nick pulled her close and smiled. He wrapped both arms around her. "Anything for you," he said softly. He then twirled her hair around his index finger and smiled. "Let's get walking again, shall we?" He then unwrapped his arms from her, took her hand in his and together, they walked down the pavement, talking and laughing.

* * *

At a diner in town, Miley felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She smiled at Nick. "Sorry. Do you mind if I step outside and take this?" she asked, slowly moving the napkin off her lap and getting her phone from her pocket.

Nick shook his head and smiled. "No, go ahead," he replied.

"Thanks." Miley slipped out of the booth and headed towards the door of the diner. She then answered the phonecall and sighed. "What's wrong, Dem?" she asked.

"I have a problem," Demi said on the other line.

"I'll be home in a couple of days. Can you not wait until I get back to tell me about the problem? I promise I'll listen then," Miley replied.

"No." Demi's voice was sharp and clear. "I need to talk to you _now_." She sighed. "Oh God, Miley, this is so fucking screwed up right now. I'm not happy, Joe isn't going to be happy when he finds out what's happened, and I know for a fact that you and Nick won't be too cheery either," Demi said. Her voice had gone from sharp to panicky in moments.

Miley's eyes widened. She was pretty sure she already knew. _No_, she thought. _Don't jump to conclusions._ "Okay, Dem. Slow down and tell me what the problem is," she said softly.

"I'm late."

Miley stopped. Slowly, her hand rose to her mouth. That was _not_ what she was expecting. She had been expecting Demi to say something like "I'm not ready to get married" or "I'm not sure that Joe's the one for me at the moment". She had never expected Demi to say that she was late.

"How long?"

"Long enough."

"I thought you were on the pill?"

"I was. I mean, I am. I guess I must have forgotten one time or something, I don't know. Anyway, the fact of the matter is that I'm late and we need to fix it," Demi said.

"Demi, you can't fix the fact that you're possibly pregnant." Miley took a deep breath. "Okay, don't panic. Let's not think about the whole possible pregnancy thing. Have you taken a test yet?"

Demi hesitated. "That's the thing. I haven't." Before Miley could reply, Demi quickly jumped in. "It's not because I haven't wanted to. Believe me, I want to. I just can't at the minute. Joe's on vacation from work for all of this week. I'll get one next Monday. He goes back then. I can't risk him finding it. I know that inside, he's hoping for a baby. He won't say because of what happened with Nick and Selena but he wants one. I know him, I can tell. I don't want him to find a test, get all excited and then find out that it's negative."

Miley hesitated, trying to take all the information in. "So you think you could possibly be pregnant with Joe's baby ... and you haven't told him yet?" She sighed. "Dem, sweetie, if I were you, I would KILL to have Joe's baby. You two have been together for years. Maybe this is like fate telling you that you're ready for a child with Joe," Miley suggested.

"But -"

"No buts, Demi. You spent your whole teenage life sitting in your bedroom, dreaming about having a family with Joe. Now you might be getting what you dreamed of." Miley sighed, then continued. "All I'm saying is that I think that you need to take a test and be sure before you start worrying about Joe. If it's positive, fine. You and Joe will have a baby. If it isn't, who cares? You have years to try again with him," she said.

Demi paused. "What if he's angry?"

Miley giggled and leaned against the wall behind her. "The day that Joe is angry with you will be with day that pigs fly and hell freezes over. That man is in love with you. Why the hell would he be bad at you if it comes out positive? Even if he is, it's as much his fault as yours," she replied.

"Thanks, Miley. That really helped me. I think I'll get a test first thing tomorrow whenever Joe's out on his run." The smile on her face could be heard in her voice. She sounded truly relieved and comforted by Miley's words. "I better go. Joe and I are having lunch with my parents in a bit. I'll talk to you when you get back. We can go for coffee or something," Demi said.

"Sounds good. Talk to you soon." Miley pressed the red 'hang up' button and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She then turned on her heel and headed straight back into the restaurant. She slipped into the booth and smiled. "Sorry about that. Demi had another one of her emergencies," she said.

Nick grinned. "A proper emergency or a Demi emergency?" he asked.

She smiled and giggled slightly. "Believe it or not, it was actually a proper emergency this time," she replied.

Nick frowned slightly and leaned back in his seat. "Everything's okay, right? Her and Joe are both fine?" he asked. His tone of voice gave away his obvious concern.

"Yeah, her and Joe are both perfectly fine. It's just ..." Miley stopped and shook her head. "I'll leave it. There's no point in worrying you over it when nothing's even been confirmed yet. Forget I said anything," she said. She looked down at her menu. "Boy, this food all sounds amazing."

Nick placed a hand over her menu. "Miley Ray. Tell me what's going on."

Miley looked around nervously. "God, it's hot in here, huh? Maybe I should step out for a minute."

Nick glared at her. "You aren't going anywhere until you tell me exactly what's going on with Demi." He paused. "Does she still want to marry Joe? Because if she doesn't, I'm sure he'll -"

"What? Oh God, no, Nick! It isn't that. I can't ..." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Demi's late."

"For what?"

"What do you think?"

"Dinner?"

Miley leaned across the table and smacked Nick on the arm. "You are such an idiot sometimes!" Miley lowered her voice. "Her _period's_ late. You know what that means, right?"

"It missed the train?"

She glared at him. "Did you ever listen in Health class? No, stupid. It means that she could be pregnant."

Nick smirked. "I knew that. I just enjoy annoying you." He leaned closer. His facial expression turned serious. "So Demi might be pregnant?"

"Yup."

"With Joe's baby?"

"Obviously. Who else's would it be?"

"You never know these days. 21st century and all that."

Miley glared at him. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway, the point is that Demi's period is late and she doesn't know whether or not she's pregnant. She won't take a test because Joe's home but she says she'll take one tomorrow. Happy?"

"Am I supposed to be?"

Miley glared at him. "Order your damn food."

* * *

"She isn't talking to me."

Nick sighed to himself and glanced through the doors at Miley. "Give her time. She's probably just tired or something. I'm sure Demi will come around soon enough. Can I go now?" he said.

"No!" Joe snapped. "Man, you're my brother. I helped you when you wanted to fuck Miley's brains out and you got what you wanted. It's time to do a good deed in return, so you better freaking help me to get Demi to talk to me again." He sighed. "She literally hasn't said a word since last night."

"Well, did you say anything to offend her?"

"I don't think so. We were just sitting on the couch after dinner and watched TV. Then like halfway through those Friends re-runs, Demi literally stood up and just walked out. When I went up to check on her and see if she was okay, she was lying in the bed with her back to me," Joe explained.

"And you didn't think to ask her what was wrong?" Nick asked. He was tired. The day before have been a long one. He and Miley had gone round the whole town in a day, fitting in all the things that they hadn't quite managed to do since they had arrived. He had wanted to save all his energy for his big surprise for Miley before they left, but knowing how long conversations with Joe lasted, he knew that he wouldn't get much rest.

"I thought I should give her some space. She was obviously upset. I didn't want to make it any worse for her by bugging her and getting on her nerves." Joe sighed. "I don't know what to do. When I woke up this morning, she was gone. When I came back from my run, she had locked herself in the damn bathroom. What the fuck am I supposed to do if she won't talk to me?" he asked.

Nick took a deep breath. He really wanted to just come out and tell Joe what Miley had told him, but he knew that letting it slip would get Miley in trouble with Demi. "I guess you just need to let her calm down. I'm sure she'll tell you once she's ready. I think you should just leave it for a while."

"I can't just leave it! The wedding is next week. I can't just let her sit there without a word for the next week."

"You're going to have to if she isn't ready to talk to you."

"I can't."

"Like I just said, you're going to have to. Can I go now?"

"You can go when I say you can go." Joe sighed. "Damn, Nick, she's just so miserable right now. I love her with everything inside me, I swear to God. I would do anything to make sure she's happy, but I just don't know how to if she doesn't open up to me," he said.

Nick glanced over at the door. Miley was about to come out with their drinks. He really just wanted to spend some time with Miley alone before they got back home. "I know you would, man. Look, I'm sure she'll open up in a few days. I'm sorry, bro, but I have to go. I'll talk to you when we get back tomorrow." Nick quickly hung up and threw his phone down on the table beside his sun lounger.

The back door opened. Miley walked out. She had clearly saved the sexiest bikini for the last day. He guessed that it was payback for him keeping their final night a secret – torturing him with her body. The push-up red halter made her breasts look at least two cup sizes bigger. The matching bottoms added to the effect. Her fingernails and toenails were all painted red to match the bikini.

She walked over slowly, a glass of lemonade in each hand, walking gracefully towards him. She stopped in front of the table beside his lounger and smiled. "Lemonade?" she offered, holding out a glass to him.

Nick took one of the glasses from her hand and smiled. "Thanks," he replied. He waited until she was sitting down on the lounger beside him until he spoke. "Is this some sort of plan to get me to tell you about tonight? Because if it is, it won't work. It's a surprise for you," he said.

Miley smiled to herself. She pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes and took a sip of lemonade. "What on earth would give you that idea?"

"The bikini dropped a few hints."

She smirked. "What, do you not like it or something? I can go and change, if that's what you'd prefer. I have some jeans and a hoodie upstairs." She made to get up, but Nick reached over and grabbed her arm, stopping her from making any movement to the house.

"I'm not complaining."

Miley leaned back onto her lounger and smiled. "Good, because I personally find this bikini quite comfortable." She then rose to her feet and headed straight for the pool. She stood at the edge and dived in head-first. Seconds later, her head rose to the surface. "Coming in?" she called over to him.

Nick stood up from his lounger and went over to the pool. He then dived in after her and into the comfortably cold water. It soothed him. The sweltering heat had been making him sweat since he had come out. The cold water made him feel so much better.

"Any particular reason why we're in here?" he asked.

Miley shrugged. "I thought it would be kind of sexy."

Nick chuckled at her response. "Mi, we've been in the pool every day since we got here. I'm pretty sure we've done all the sexy things that could possibly be done in a pool," he said softly.

"All but one," she said, smirking at him. She backed away from him in the water and pulled herself up onto the deck. She rose to her feet and lifted her sunglasses, resting them on top of her head. "Are you watching?" she asked. When she was certain that he was, she reached behind her and slowly, almost painfully slow, untied the string both behind her neck and mid-back. Her bikini top fell to the ground.

Nick's mouth was left hanging open as he stared up at her. Nick had never been one to stare at a girl based simply on looks, and that was most definitely not what he had ever done with Miley, but in that moment, all he could do was stare at the beautiful woman in front of him, her bare and beautiful breasts teasing and tormenting him. She truly was the most sexy woman he had ever seen in his life.

Miley smirked. "Enjoying the view?" she asked.

Nick managed to move his head slightly as a weak nod, never taking his eyes away from her unreachable breasts. All he wanted to do was grab her and make love to her. He loved her so much that it consumed him. He wanted to show her just how much she meant to him. However, he knew that she wanted to play some sort of tantalising game with him. Who was he to complain? The woman of his dreams wanted him to want her more than ever before. Not that he needed any encouragement. He had never wanted anything more than he wanted her in that moment.

"I think you'll enjoy the next part," she said to him.

Nick watched, unable to make any sound or movement, as Miley whipped her long curls back and smirked. She slowly hooked her fingers into her bikini bottoms and slowly began to slip them down her legs. Nick felt himself grow harder and harder as her whole body was revealed to him. If there was any doubt before, his thoughts were confirmed. Miley was undoubtedly the most amazing woman he had ever met.

In his life, Nick had had sex with only four women. Two girls in high school, Selena and then Miley. Having sex with Miley had by far been the best experience of the four. When she was with him, she made him feel as though he was the only man in the world. She made him feel like he was the only man who could ever make her feel the way she did when he had sex with her. She made him feel like there was a special connection, far beyond the link that they usually had together.

Nick was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of splashing water. He looked around. Miley was no longer on the deck. Then he saw it. Miley's head rose to the surface right in front of him.

She smirked. "What do you think?" she asked, glancing down at herself.

Nick put a hand on either side of her waist and pulled her close to him, pressing their bodies together. He was sure that she could feel his hard-on pressing against her, but he didn't care. He wanted her to know just how much he wanted her. He wanted her to know how much he wanted to take her, right there and then.

"I think that you're the most beautiful, sexy, amazing gorgeous woman I've ever met in my life," he whispered softly to her.

Miley smiled. "Why thank you," she whispered back. She then took his hand and turned around. "Follow me," she ordered. Together, they went up the steps of the pool. Miley went over to the side of the house and switched on the jacuzzi. Soon, the jets started to go and the water started to move.

Slowly, Nick stepped into the jacuzzi and watched her as she slowly walked towards him. He couldn't take his eyes off her body. She had to have the best body he had ever seen. He watched as she stepped into the jacuzzi. Miley slowly placed a leg on either side of him, straddling him, and pressed herself slightly against his hard-on.

Nick gulped. "The neighbours," he managed to get out.

Miley smiled distractedly and trailed a finger down his chest. "They took their kids out of town for the day," she replied. She stopped right above his trunks and smirked. "They won't be back until late." She leaned close to his ear and nibbled slightly. "Very late," she whispered. She then moved her lips down to his neck and started to kiss it.

Nick felt like he was in heaven. The woman he loved was straddling him in a jacuzzi, naked, her lips on his neck and her hand right above his erection. He was almost sure that nothing could be better than the position he was in at that moment.

"You know," she whispered. "These jets are really turning me on." She nibbled slightly on his neck. "Are they turning you on?" she asked.

Nick couldn't get an answer out. He almost found it impossible. Everything about the situation was completely and utterly erotic. Every move she made caused him to feel a desire to slam her down and make love to her all day long. Every sound that came from her mouth made him want to ditch the jacuzzi and take her straight up to their bedroom, where he could make love to her all day and all night without worrying about neighbours or passers-by on the beach.

Miley then slipped her hand into his trunks, slowly moving down to his manhood, taking it in her soft hands, running one of her delicate fingers up and down slowly, teasing him and taunting him in an attempt to make him call out her name. In that moment, he knew it. He was long gone. She had what she wanted - power over him.

Nick looked up into her eyes. Her crystal blue eyes had a cheeky twinkle in them. They were no longer the sweet and innocent orbs that he normally looked into. They had been taken over by lust and desire, passion and yearning. She clearly wanted to be with him just as much as he wanted to be with her, but for some reason, she seemed to feel the need to prolong them from being together. He didn't have any idea. Maybe she wanted it to feel more amazing when it actually happened. Maybe she wanted to keep the connection between them for longer. Maybe she just enjoyed the feeling of teasing him.

Her grip on him tightening slightly. She smirked as she started to move her hand. Soon, she started to quicken the pace of her hand movements, often tightening her grip slightly and then loosening it again.

Nick closed his eyes in pleasure and groaned. Sure, he had only had sex with four girls, but he had been given hand-jobs by more than four girls. However, Miley was by far the best at it. She filled him with such lust and desire. All he wanted to do was pull off his trunks and pull her down on top of him. But he left it. Both of them were enjoying it too much.

"Miley, I'm going to -"

Nick came all over Miley's hand. Miley smirked at him and planted a soft and gentle kiss on his lips. "Did you enjoy that?" she asked.

Nick nodded slowly, his eyes wide, still in shock from the amazing feeling Miley had given him.

"I'm glad," she said.

Nick pulled her close so that their chests were pressed together. "God, Mi. I need you. Now. I can't wait any longer. I need you," he whispered into her ear.

"All in good time, baby," she whispered back. Miley then reached for his hand and wrapped her own around his wrist. She then guided his hand down to her. She bit her lip. "Do whatever you want, Nick," she whispered, watching him. Her eyes were filled with more lust than ever before. She wanted nothing more than him to be inside of her, but she knew that if she let him do what he wanted to her, the sex itself would feel even more amazing.

Nick ran his thumb over her. She held in a moan and wrapped her arms around his neck for something to hold on to, knowing how weak Nick was about to make her. Nick then slipped a finger into her folds and began to rub her clit with his thumb, gradually rubbing harder. This time, she couldn't hold in the moan. Nick smirked at the reaction he was getting from her. He loved to make her moan. He had one goal for that day – he was going to get her to scream his name louder than she ever had before. He wanted their last day together on vacation to be special. He couldn't think of a more special way to spend it than spend the day together before going out for the surprise he had planned for her.

Nick then slipped a finger inside her and began to slowly move it in and out while rubbing her clit in circles with his thumb. Her moans got louder as he slipped in a second finger.

Miley threw her head back in pleasure and began to pull at his hair. Nick was causing her more pleasure than he ever had before. In fact, he was causing her more pleasure than any man ever had before. She had never felt so amazing while a man was fingering her.

"Nick, I -"

She was interrupted by her own moaning. She then tugged his hair harder and cried out in pleasure.

"Oh my God. Oh my God, Nick. Fucking hell. NICK!"

_Mission accomplished._

She then collapsed on top of him, her breathing fast and heavy. She looked up at him and smirked.

"You didn't do so bad there."

Nick grinned. "You aren't the only one with experience, sweetheart," he whispered.

Miley bit her lip and smiled. "Shall we get to it, then?" she asked, her fingers already hooked into his trunks. Without waiting for an answer, she pulled his trunks off him and threw them behind her. Nick heard them land somewhere across the deck, but he didn't look to see where they landed. The only thing he was looking at was Miley.

Both of them were naked. Both of them wanted one another. Miley was holding herself above Nick on her knees, only centimetres from his manhood. She so badly wanted to just press herself down onto him and ride him violently, but she wanted to take the whole thing slowly. It had by far been the best sex they had so far and Nick hadn't even entered Miley.

"Ready?" he asked.

Miley nodded. Slowly, she pressed herself down onto him. Immediately, she moaned in pleasure. She then slowly began to move back and forth. She then started to go faster, causing Nick to groan loudly in pleasure.

"Fucking hell, Mi," he murmured.

Miley bit her lip, trying to hold in the moan that she so badly wanted to let out. She then started to move up and down slightly, causing Nick to curse under his breath. She grinded against him, pressing him further into her.

Miley then smirked, her confidence building. It was her that was making Nick feel the way he did. No one else, just her. She had managed to make Nick, the smooth-talking romantic guy that she knew, say her name so many times that she had lost count. She had done it. She had him right where she wanted him.

Miley then started to go faster and harder. She called out his name, moaning out and screaming in pleasure at the feeling she was getting from having him inside her.

Minutes later, Miley collapsed limply on top of him, her face buried in his chest, her hands still in his curls, still pressed down on him. They stayed where they were, simply taking in the moment. She wanted to remember her surroundings and the situation they were in for the rest of her life.

"That was amazing," he whispered.

Miley smiled to herself and looked up. "_You're _amazing."

* * *

"Nick, where the hell are we going?" Miley moaned.

Nick smiled and opened the car door for her. "You'll see soon enough." He helped her out and slammed the door shut behind her. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to blindfold you, angel," he informed her.

"Why the fuck do you have to blindfold me?" she asked. "For fuck's sake, just tell me where the hell you're taking me and then we can just spend the night together, you and me," she suggested.

Nick chuckled. "Nice try, sweetheart." He pulled out a blindfold and covered her eyes with it. "Don't worry, I'll lead the way for you." He took her by the hand and slowly started to lead her up the gravel path towards his surprise for her. "I really think you're going to love it," he said softly.

"I damn well better."

Nick smiled. She could be a little bitch sometimes, but he loved her attitude. To him, it set her apart from all the other girls out there. It reminded him of how lucky he was to have her. It reminded him that Miley, the girl he loved, the most important thing in his life, was one in a million. It reminded him that he'd never find a girl quite like her again.

"We're here." Nick slowly removed the blindfold from Miley's eyes. He was almost shaking with nervousness. He was so worried in case she didn't like it.

Miley's mouth fell open in shock. Nick's surprise was possibly the most romantic thing she had ever seen in her life. He had put out candles spelling 'I LOVE YOU' out right at the edge of a cliff. He had put out a picnic for them about a metre away from the candles. The stars could be seen directly above and the waves could be hard crashing against the shore at the bottom of the cliff.

"Oh my God."

"If you hate it, we can go and get dinner in town. It's no big deal. I just thought -"

Miley stopped Nick from talking by pressing her lips hard against his. She pulled away and smiled. "I love it," she whispered. She glanced around. "No guy has ever gone through this much trouble for me before," she said.

Nick smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm surprised. You deserve for a guy to treat you well," he whispered.

Miley smiled back and shrugged. "I guess it's made tonight even more special for you and I," she said.

**Aw :') This chapter was PRETTY MUCH a load of Niley fluff, over and over, except for the Jemi parts. But yeah ... I actually quite like this chapter. I enjoyed writing this. I really think that Nick and Miley have a really good relationship. To me, I can kind of relate from the beginning. Girl loves boy, boy loves someone else, boy falls for girl, boy and girl get together, blah blah blah. In my opinion, it's just a real relationship that people can relate to.**

**I would LOVE to hear what everyone thought of the chapter. I'm not even joking, reviews mean the world to me. I get the email that says somebody has reviewed and it literally brightens up my day. Then all the reviews come in and I literally can't help but smile at the fact that somebody read my story and actually enjoyed it. No joke, it makes me so happy! :)**

**I'm sorry there was no update last weekend. It was my brother's 18th on Friday, then I was going out on the Saturday with friends and then I headed to a concert on Sunday night. I actually NEVER get a chance to work on this during the day, after school. I have so much work to do this year! :o It scares me, to be honest. But it'll be fine :)**

**Thanks to R'Canena, nileyxtruexlove (It's okay about the reviews. No, I'm afraid not! They almost did, but Miley stopped it because she felt bad about the whole Selena thing. Maybe you're thinking of when Nick slept with Selena? Thank you so much!), heartvibe (Imagine that about the woods :o :L Nah, it's alright, I understand that there are circumstances when people can't review. It just annoys me when people have time but they just don't bother to review), thousandreasons (THANK YOU SO SO MUCH. That literally means the world to me. You have no IDEA how happy that makes me!), JuuhByMiley, xImASmilerx (Ha, thank you! :L), TheMsBrandy1 (Thank you for your reviews. You literally review nearly every chapter and it means so much to me. The whole reviews thing gets annoying, huh? :/), LaLaLax6 (Thanks you. No joke, your reviews are some of the best! You always tell me what you liked about the chapter and stuff. That really makes me smile), lovelymiley, skatergurl2789 and lovetowrite07 (Thank you so so much. Your reviews actually brighten up my day! You're one of the people that literally tells me exactly what you think of a chapter) for all of your reviews. They all made me smile so so much.**

**Btw, just a heads up – I'm free to talk on PM if anybody feels like it? Haha. I get bored sometimes and I'm just like, wait no, I have no one to talk to! So yeah ... PM me if you want to get to know me or whatever.**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.**


	17. Chapter 17

"Have you ever just sat out and stared at the stars?"

Nick looked over at Miley. She was lying on her back, staring up at the sparkling lights in the sky. Her question lingered in the air, left unanswered.

"No, I don't think I have."

Miley turned her head to look at him. "I have." She sighed. "Back when you and Selena were still together. Right before you and I got together. I had just started to feel something for you. I guess the stars calmed me down a bit. They kind of helped me to clear my head." She turned to look at him again and smiled slightly. "I damn well needed to."

Nick smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" she asked.

"Everything. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to see that Selena wasn't the right woman for me. I'm sorry for all the crap you had to put up with before I ended it with Selena. I'm sorry that she's being such a bitch to you now. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation."

"You don't need to apologise."

"Yes, I do. It's my fault that Selena feels the way she does right now. If I had just told her as soon as I realised that I no longer felt the way I had about her, she might have gotten over it quicker. If you and I hadn't gone behind her back and ..." He trailed off. "I'm sorry, Miley."

"Don't be."

"I can't not be sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she replied. "I got myself into the situation. It wasn't all down to you, you know. I said yes. I wanted it to happen just as badly as you did. Besides, what good will apologies do now? It's over. It's done. We can't go back and not hurt Selena. We can't go back to just being friends. We are the way we are because it was meant to happen. Believe in fate or not, this was supposed to happen. If it wasn't, it wouldn't have. I guess this is all just part of our journeys." She looked at him and giggled. "I should shut up now, huh?"

Nick smiled. "Go on. I want to hear what you think of it all."

"I just think that you and I happened for a reason. Maybe we were supposed to learn some sort of lesson, maybe we weren't. Maybe we'll make it in the future and maybe we won't. The point is that right now, you and I are meant to be together. I just don't see how apologising and thinking about all the things we could have changed will do anything. The past is the past, we can't change what's happened. We all just need to look to the future and think about our lives after everything that went down with you and Selena."

He paused, taking in Miley's words. She had a point. Why was he even apologising? Apologising to Miley wouldn't make Selena feel any better. It wouldn't bring him back to Selena. It wouldn't let Miley move on from Nick. It most certainly wouldn't break the special connection he felt every single time he was with Miley.

"You're right."

"I am?"

"Of course."

Miley smiled and took his hand. "I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anybody in my entire life. You mean everything to me, you know that?"

"I love you more."

Miley giggled. "I am not playing that game with you tonight."

Nick lay down on his back beside Miley and smiled. That night had been amazing. He couldn't see how he could ever be any happier than he had been during that vacation. He wanted the feeling to last forever. He wanted to be with her forever. He just wanted to stay in that spot with her and never move. He never wanted to go back home and face all the drama and work. He enjoyed it being just them. He enjoyed it when he was just spending time with her.

_Her. _The woman he loved. His life. Miley was the one person that, no matter what, would always be there for him. He knew that. He trusted that it would stay that way. He loved her with everything in him. He loved her so much that he would do almost anything in his power to stop her from hurting. He could picture himself with her, ten years down the road, children all around them, in the perfect little neighbourhood that Miley had always dreamed of. He couldn't see how even his future with her could make the way he was feeling keep going.

"I've had an amazing time with you."

Miley reached out and squeezed his hand. She raised it and held it close to her heart. "I've had an amazing time with you too." She turned on her side to look at him. "Can you picture us being old together? I mean, you always said that you pictured yourself old with Selena. Can you picture us being old together?"

"This isn't about my relationship with Selena."

"Answer the question."

"Of course I do, Mi. You know that I do."

"You really mean it?"

"I would never lie to you, angel." Nick smiled. "You know, I wrote you a song last week," he said softly, reaching out and touching her hand.

"Really?"

He nodded. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Of course!"

Nick cleared his throat and pulled her close. Then, he began to sing softly in her ear.

"_Entered with a broken wing,_

_When you showed up at my door,_

_Now, I'm fallen more in love,_

_then I ever was before._

_If you must,_

_Know the truth;_

_I knew that it was you._

_So anywhere, where you are..._

_I do..._

_I know that an endless love,_

_Isn't something you can't teach._

_With you, there is not a star,_

_In the sky, that I can't reach._

_If you must,_

_Know the truth;_

_I knew that it was you._

_So anywhere, where you are..._

_I do..._

_So anywhere,_

_Where you are,_

_You can trust that I will._

_So anywhere,_

_Where you are,_

_I do..."_

With the final note, Nick closed his eyes and breathed out deeply. He had been searching for the perfect moment to sing to her. He had been waiting to sing his new song to her. However, he had never quite found a time that he saw perfect enough. Now that he had finished singing, the only fear he felt was that she would hate it.

"So," he said nervously. "What did you think?"

Miley stayed silent. She stared at him, not taking her eyes off him for even a moment. She simply lay there, staring up at him. Nick couldn't hear anything but her slow and steady breathing.

"You wrote that for me?" she whispered.

Nick nodded. "Of course."

Miley's eyes filled with tears. A single tear slipped down her cheek. "Nick, that's the sweetest thing that anybody's ever done for me." She quickly wiped away her tear. "My God, Nick. That was ... amazing."

He grinned and squeezed her hand tightly. "Anything for you."

* * *

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

Nick's chair collided with the wall as he swung back and forth, whistling and staring at the ceiling.

Miley placed her hand on the back of Nick's swinging chair, stopping it from moving any more. He looked at her and put his feet flat on the ground. She smiled softly and stoked his leg gently. "Sweetie, calm down. Don't worry about this too much. It's only the first meeting," she said softly.

"I know," Nick replied, looking up at the plainly tiled ceiling. "I just ... I didn't want this before until I got hopeful. I was willing to put my music aside. But now I have a meeting with a big record label. My career is riding on this." He sighed. "God, Mi, imagine what our lives could be like if this worked out."

Miley smiled and squeezed his hand. "You deserve every little bit of success you could possibly get, Nick."

Nick chuckled. "I doubt that, to be honest." He looked into her eyes. "Mi, this could be it for us. If this works out, we could do anything. Go anywhere. Be anyone. We could have the perfect life." He sighed. "I guess it all comes down to this, huh?"

Miley opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the receptionist. The receptionist, who had introduced herself as Lila, was a petite girl. She had blonde ringlets and sparkling blue eyes, catching the attention of the couple. Her floaty pink skirt reached to just above the knee and was matched with a white tank-top and gladiator sandals. Her voice was quiet and sweet. She seemed like a nice girl.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said. "But Mr Davidson is ready to see you now." She smiled and waited for them.

Nick rose to his feet. "Can you come with me?" he asked Miley softly. He looked down at her and smiled. "I could really do with your support right now."

Miley paused. She didn't want to intrude. It was his meeting with Carson Davidson. It was his future and career that was on the line. It wasn't her meeting. It wasn't her career. It wasn't her place to meddle and listen in. She wanted Nick to be able to stand up and say that he worked hard for his music career and that he got it all on his own. She didn't want him to have to tell people that his girlfriend was sitting in the room whenever he had his first meeting with a record label.

"Please?"

Miley looked up at Lila, who smiled. "I'm sure Mr Davidson wouldn't mind. We can easily bring in an extra chair," she said.

Nick grinned down at Miley. She knew that she had no choice. Nick had her right where he wanted her.

"Just for a little bit," she said. She got up and took Nick's hand. "But if he wants me to go, I'm leaving. I'll meet you out in the car," she warned him. Nick nodded and took her hand. "How long will this take?" she asked Lila.

"That depends," Lila explained, leading them down the corridor to the office. "If Mr Davidson likes you, it normally won't take that long. Maybe 45 minutes or an hour. If he doesn't like you, you'll probably be out in about 20 minutes, half an hour tops." She stopped at the end and smiled. "Good luck. I'm sure Mr Davidson will have no problems with you." Lila knocked the frosted glass.

"Come in!" a booming voice called.

Lila pushed the door open. "Mr Davidson, Nick is here. Do you mind if he brings someone in?"

"The more the merrier!"

Lila stepped aside and smiled at Nick and Miley. "Go ahead," she said. She let them past before closing the door behind them. The only thing they could hear of her was the sound of her sandals, shuffling down the hall to the reception area.

Miley turned around to face the famous Mr Carson Davidson. She smiled slightly and stepped closer to the desk, led by Nick.

Nick stuck out his hand. "Hello. My name is Nick. This is my girlfriend, Miley. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

Carson motioned for them to sit. "And you also," he said. He waited for them to get comfortable before leaning closer to them. "Now, one of my scouts saw you at a hotel opening a month or two ago. They said that you were excellent. They showed me a video." He clicked something on his laptop and turned it around for them.

Nick's song, 'Can't Have You' began to play, along with a video of his performance. Miley smiled at the memory. She remembered the concert as though it had only been yesterday. It had been the night that she realised just how much she loved Nick. His performance was filled with such emotion and pain that she felt bad for putting him through so much hurt at the time, no matter what the circumstances were back then.

Carson stopped the video. "I was impressed," he stated. "Now, have you got any more songs for me?" he asked.

Nick nodded and handed Carson an envelope. "Those are five more of my own songs. I wrote them a while ago," he replied.

Carson opened the envelope and put the sheet music out on his desk. "'Who I Am', 'In The End', 'Critical', 'Inseperable' ..." Carson squinted, trying to read the small title of the last song. "What's this last one?"

Nick glanced at Miley and smiled. "That's 'Just Friends'," he said.

Carson nodded. He gathered up the sheet music and put it all back in the envelope. "I like you, Nick. I think you're talented. With a little bit of work, I think that you really could be a superstar." He paused. He typed something into his computer and nodded. "Do you have a CD or something on you? With a recorded track as opposed to a live one," he said.

Nick nodded. "There's a three-song demo in the envelope."

Carson slipped his hand inside and took out a disc. "I'll need to play this to the rest of the board. Say that the board like your music and are willing to sign you ... I want to make sure that you know the amount of work that you will need to put in. Once a deal is signed, the process starts to move quickly. By the looks of things, we could probably put together an album if we got a few more songs ready. If the album was recorded quickly and was a success, we would need to send you out on a national tour." He glanced at Miley. "My problem is that you may not want to be away from home for as much time as you'll need to be."

"Just say that I got signed ... How long would the tour take?"

"Well, the first few weeks, just before the album is released, you would have to go on a lot of talk shows. Jay Leno, GMA, Ellen, that kind of thing. You'd need to promote your album and single. That would be a lot of travelling. Then the album release week will be jammed with interviews, parties, meetings. The concert tour itself would probably take about two or three months," Carson explained.

Nick glanced at Miley. 'What do you think?"

"Whatever makes you happy."

"But what about you?"

"What about me?"

"I'll be away a lot."

"We can make it work."

Carson smiled slightly. "So can I take that as a yes? Can I play your demo to the board?" he asked.

Nick glanced at Miley one more time, searching for kind of indication that she didn't want him to say yes. He found none. He turned to Carson and smiled. "Go ahead and play it to them," he said. "When exactly will I know if they liked it?"

"I have a board meeting this afternoon. If I play it to them later on, give them until tomorrow to make up their minds ... We will hopefully get back to you on Friday or Saturday," Carson replied, smiling. He rose to his feet and shook Nick's hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope that the board agrees that you're talented." He shook Miley's hand. "And I hope you know that you're lucky to have a woman like Miley here."

Nick smiled and wrapped an arm around Miley's waist. "Trust me," he said. "I know." He and Miley slowly made their way towards the door. "Thanks for meeting us. It was an honour," he said. He then opened the door and led Miley out into the hall.

As soon as the closed the door behind them, Nick grinned at her. "Holy shit, Miley, he actually liked me!"

Miley smiled and hugged him tightly. "Oh my gosh, Nick, I'm so proud of you!" She pulled away from him, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck. "You're going to make a difference in this world. I can feel it," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead. "This is our year."

* * *

"The zipper's stuck!"

"What do you mean the zipper's stuck?"

"I mean I can't get the damn thing up the zip thing!"

Demi pushed the door to her bathroom open and stood in the door, hands on her hips, a worried expression on her face. "What the hell do you mean you can't get it up?" she yelled. She stormed over to Miley and stood behind her.

Miley giggled. "You said 'get it up'," she said.

"Now isn't the time for your dirty-minded sense of humour! We're late and we're still nowhere near ready for this thing!" she snapped, fiddling with the zipper of Miley's black lace dress. They were getting ready for Demi's bachelorette party.

"Stop worrying, Dem. We'll be there in time. Besides, it's only the bachelorette. At least it's not the wedding we're late for," Miley replied.

"It's all part of the wedding process," Demi grumbled. She fumbled with zip again. Finally, she fixed it. She pulled the zipper up and smiled. "Perfect!" she said. She handed Miley her heels, along with her make-up bag and comb. "Get those on and finish your hair and make-up. We're leaving in ten."

"Don't go. I need to talk to you."

Demi sat down on the edge of the bath and flattened out her tight red sleeveless dress. "What's the matter?"

"What's going on with the whole pregnancy thing?" she asked.

Demi stayed silent. She stared at the tiles on the bathroom floor to avoid Miley's gaze. She didn't want to talk about it. Now then. She wanted to have a good night, getting ready for her wedding that weekend. It wasn't the time to linger on pregnancy tests and desperate phonecalls.

"Demi? Sweetie, come on. You know you can tell me. I just want to help you out." Miley hesitated. "When you called when Nick and I were on vacation, I was so worried about you. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." She squeezed Demi's hand. "But I can't make sure you're okay if you don't let me in."

"It was negative."

Miley smiled. "Then be happy! That's a good thing, right? I thought you and Joe weren't ready for a baby."

"We weren't. I mean, we aren't." Demi sighed and closed her eyes. She ran her fingers through her curls and sighed. "Is it wrong that I wished that it was positive when I know that Joe and I aren't ready to raise a child yet?"

Miley took Demi's hand. "Oh sweetie, of course not!"

"Then why do I feel like the things that went through my mind when the test came out negative were the wrong things to feel?"

Miley hugged Demi tightly and rubbed her back.

"Don't you dare cry," Demi commanded. Miley smiled. Demi would read her like a book.

"We'll talk about this after the wedding. When you're back from the honeymoon, you and I can meet up for coffee and talk about the test. But for now, let's move past it. This weekend is going to be the best of your life. I refuse to let you ruin it by thinking about what could have been. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you do." Miley smiled. "Now let's fix our make-up and hit the road." She winked. "We'll be late if we don't. We can't have the bride being late to her own party."

Half an hour later, Miley and Demi walked into the apartment Dallas shared with her best friend, Leah. Dallas was in the bathroom, fixing her make-up. Leah was curling her hair in the bedroom. Around the apartment, Demi's closest friends were chatting and drinking.

"THE BRIDE IS HERE!"

All the women rushed towards the door of the living room where Miley and Demi were standing. All the women began to call out compliments to the bride.

"That dress is amazing!"

"You look beautiful, Demi."

"Your make-up is flawless tonight!"

"Joe's one lucky guy, Dem."

Demi smiled and hugged a few of the women. "Thanks, guys." She looked around the room. "Is everybody ready to get going?" she asked. Everyone nodded. Demi looked at Dallas. "Yo, Dallas, where are we heading?"

Dallas grinned and glanced over at Leah. "Well, Leah and I were thinking, and we decided that the best place to go would be the place where you and Miley seem to love so much. You know that place around the corner, Maison de la Danse?"

Demi squealed and looked over at Miley. "DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?" she screamed.

Miley grinned and nodded. "Dallas was asking about places that you liked to go to, and I remembered that you and Joe went there when he asked you to move in with him, and I know you think that it's an awesome place to go, so I thought why not?" she explained. She looked over at Dallas. "Are we walking over?" she asked.

Dallas nodded. She and Leah headed towards the door, leading the group out of the apartment and down to Maison de la Danse.

When they entered the club, it was just as it always was. Music pounding. Crowded dance floor. Busy bar. Distinctive smell. Full to the brim. Miley smiled as she surveyed the scene. The club was just how she liked it – busy. She grabbed Demi's hand and pulled her over to the dance floor, just as _Who's That Chick_ began to blare from the speakers all around the club.

"BITCH, THIS MY JAMMM!" Demi screamed to Miley over the pounding of the music. She took Miley's hands and together, they began to dance. They were well aware of the male attention they were getting, but they ignored it. It was Demi's night. It was a girl's night. It wasn't the time to hook up with random guys in a last leap of freedom before Demi married Joe. They wanted nothing to do with the men surrounding them, trying to join them. It was just Demi and Miley, just as it had been since high school.

* * *

Nick took a drink from his beer and glanced over at his brother. He seemed to be enjoying the stripper that he had hired for him. Nick, however, had no interest in the stripper. He was too busy thinking.

He couldn't help but wonder if it would be him marrying the girl he loved in a year or two. He couldn't help but wonder if he and Miley would soon be like Demi and Joe, getting married, having their bachelor and bachelorette parties, going on their honeymoon. He wanted it to be that way for them. He knew that there was nothing he would rather do than marry Miley.

He smiled at the thought of Miley walking down the church towards him in a white dress, looking as beautiful as ever. She was, after all, the woman he wanted to marry. He loved her with everything inside of him.

He kept smiling as he began to think of their time in Laguna. It had been perfect. It was just them, alone, spending time together like they had when they were in high school. No distractions. No crazy exes. No meddling brothers and best friends. It had just been them, spending time together. They had shared something magical while on vacation. He could honestly say that he had never been on a better vacation than the one he had gone on with Miley.

He glanced over at Joe again. He didn't see the attraction towards strippers. They weren't his kind of thing. He was more into having his real girl by his side, just the two of them. He had never quite understood what other men found so appealing about women who had to take off their clothes for a living. He smiled. The stripper he had gotten for Joe (a stripper at his bachelor party being Joe's teenage dream) had nothing on Miley. He had to admit, the stripper was hot, but there was a line between her and Miley. The woman in front of his brother was hot and certainly knew how to use her body, but Miley was beautiful. She was enchanting. She was, above all, intoxicating.

Joe grinned over at Nick, snapping Nick out of his thoughts. "YOU ARE THE BEST BROTHER EVER!" he yelled.

Nick smiled. He loved to see Joe happy, whether that meant hiring a stripper or watching him marry the love of his life. All Nick knew was that when he got married to Miley, he wanted his bachelor party to be nothing like the one Joe had organised for him when he married Selena. He wanted no strippers. No pranks on the groom. All he wanted was to have some beers with some friends and chill. Nothing big.

Joe's friend, Kyle, nudged Nick. "Joe's certainly enjoying this, huh? You must be some little brother to treat the guy like _this_," he said.

Nick grinned and looked back at Kyle. "He always wanted a stripper," he said. He glanced back at Joe. "I can tell by looking at him, though, that he's thinking of Demi, even though there's a half-naked woman in front of him." He chuckled. "The guy never could get Demi off his mind, even in high school." Nick got to his feet and headed for the bar for another beer.

He had to admit, Joe's bachelor party was fun. Of course, he wasn't really into the stripper and he didn't want to get into too much partying, but it was fun to see his brother so happy. He was glad that he could do his older brother a favour.

The stripper walked past, now fully clothed. She stopped behind Nick. Nick paid her quickly. "Thanks. I think Joe enjoyed that."

The girl chuckled. "Damn right he did." She bit her lip slightly and looked Nick up and down. "You single?" she asked.

"Nope."

The stripper leaned against the bar beside him. "Shame. You have potential." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a card. She put it down on the bar and pushed it towards him. "When you're single again, give me a call." She smirked. "You know, it must be something in the family. You and your brother are both _really_ hot."

Nick smiled. "Thanks, I guess." He pushed it back to her. "But I won't be needing this." He glanced down at the card. "But thanks for coming, Crystal."

Crystal shrugged. "Worth a try, right?" She giggled. "This girl must have you whipped. You know how many guys have turned me down before? One. I was seven." She giggled again. "Like I said, can't blame a girl for trying." Crystal then turned on her heel and left the bar.

Joe walked up behind Nick and patted him on the back. "You, my brother, are my favourite person in the world right now," he slurred.

Nick chuckled and patted Joe on the shoulder. He turned his brother around and headed back towards the booth that Joe had been sitting in. "I think you've had enough beer for now."

**HELLO! :D Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was kind of crap, in my opinion, but whatever. Like Crystal said, can't blame a girl for trying! Except, you know, she's talking about a guy and I'm talking about a story ... But whatever! I hope you liked it. Leave me a review and tell me what you think. REMEMBER: You can leave a review anonymously. You don't need an account to review. Okay, Chapter 18 is going to be the morning after the parties, the rehearsal dinner and MAYBE the wedding morning?**

**I kind of wanted to tell you guys something ... Do you remember That Little Blue Door? The story about the summer in Greece? Yeah ... I've decided to CANCEL that. You Won't Feel A Thing is nearly over and I know I said that I'd get back to That Little Blue Door right after, but I kind of have a bit of a problem with it. I'm just not feeling the story. I don't feel like sitting down and writing it. If you don't enjoy writing it, what's the point? So yeah, That Little Blue Door is CANCELLED. I'm sorry to let down those of you who enjoyed that story, but I'm just not feeling it. I don't think the storyline is that good and I just am not feeling it. HOWEVER, I have decided to write a NEW story in its place!**

**Once YWFAT is over (which, unfortunately, will be in a few chapters), I have decided to start pretty much straight into my new story. If you have ever read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, it is loosely based on that. I recently read that book and it was AMAZING. I literally couldn't put it down. It's based on that story in that it focuses on an issue that, in my opinion, is a big problem in today's society, and that is the issue of gangs. That's all I'm saying. It will be focused on the idea of gangs (e.g. violence, drug dealing, etc.) and all that kind of thing. I hope it will be good :)**

**PLEASE CHECK OUT MY ONESHOT AND REVIEW IT. 'It's Simply Impossible' was uploaded on Saturday, I think? And since then I've gotten like one review on it :/ So maybe if you guys could review? Please, that would mean a lot. THANK YOU!**

**So yeah. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review. Sorry to cancel That Little Blue Door but I'm just not into it. Looking forward to the new story in the future! Sorry for the super long author's note :L**

**Thanks to foreverandalways333, nileyxtruexlove (I'm afraid I don't, no. I'm not into Twitter, really :L), thousandreasons, nileyxtruexlove, starsmoon1981, lovetowrite07 (Ha, I neverrrr get bored by long reviews, don't worry), R'Canena, xNileyxBubblesx, .girl.713 (Aw, thank you so much! That means so much to me!), FirePrincess251, LaLaLax6 (Aw, thank you!), TheMsBrandy1 and skatergurl2789 (Ha, not quite yet, I'm afraid! He isn't fully divorced from Selena just yet, I don't think) for your reviews. Much appreciated!  
**


	18. Chapter 18

"WAKE UP IN THE MORNING FEELING LIKE P DIDDY!"

Demi groaned as her eyes fluttered open. Who the hell was screaming the words to a Ke$ha song while her head was pounding? She squinted. The lights were just far too bright. Her stomach was churning, threatening to bring up all the contents of her stomach.

She turned slowly onto her side and looked around, squinting to see in the blinding lights. "Can someone turn the lights off? And whoever is singing, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she snapped. She rolled back over onto her back and closed her eyes tightly. She waited for a response to her request, but got nothing. She rolled back over on the couch she was laying on and squinted to see.

She saw a blurry figure in the doorway. "Who is that?" she asked. She couldn't see anything clearly through her squinted eyes. Slowly, she tried to open them wider to look out, making the blur become slightly clearer.

A deep, hoarse voice replied. "Guess."

She opened her eyes fully and grinned at the sight, immediately forgetting how bad she felt with her hangover. "Oh my gosh, Joe! What are you going here?" she exclaimed.

Joe smirked, leaning lazily against the door frame. "I thought I'd come and see my gorgeous fiancée." He flopped down on the couch beside Demi. "And how is my beautiful bride? Did you have a good night last night?" he asked her, taking her hand in his own and intertwining their fingers.

Demi giggled and shrugged. "It was a'ight," she replied.

Joe smiled. He glanced at his watch, then back up at Demi. "You ready to go soon? We have to go and check that everything's ready for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner," he said to her, rising to his feet.

Demi nodded and stood up. "Is Dallas awake?" she asked.

Joe shook his head. "Her and Leah are asleep in her bedroom, and Miley and Katy are in Leah's room," he replied. He began to walk towards the door of the apartment. "Text Dallas and tell her where you are so she doesn't worry." He pulled her close and smirked. "I want you all to myself today." The two of them walked out of the apartment together and headed down the stairs. "I missed you last night."

Demi smiled. He always knew how to make her feel special, even with the slightest little comment that would mean nothing to somebody else. All the things about him meant the world to her. "I missed you too, Joe."

"So, are you excited for tonight?"

"Of course!"

"And tomorrow?"

Demi stopped and took both of his hands in her own, smiling up at him. She really was lucky to have him. She knew that she didn't deserve such a great guy. She had no idea why he chose her.

"You shouldn't even have to ask whether I'm excited for tomorrow."

Joe smiled cheekily and shrugged. "You never know. You've heard the stories about all of those girls who had second thoughts and left the guy standing at the altar, waiting for them." He kissed her forehead. "You better not abandon me tomorrow, kid."

"You don't have to worry about that."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

They began to walk down the street again in a comfortable silence, happy to just be in each other's company. Demi glanced up at Joe, not quite understanding why he chose to be with her. Joe was everything that a girl wanted. He was handsome, he was kind, he was gentle, he was sweet, he was funny, he was everything that Demi had ever dreamed of. He could have any girl that he wanted just by snapping his fingers. Demi was just ... Demi. She was nothing special.

As Demi wondered why Joe chose to marry her, Joe was thinking the exact same thing. Why had Demi ever said yes to him? She was crazy beautiful, she was funny, she knew how to have a good time, she was good with kids, she wasn't clingy. She was perfect. She could have had any guy she wanted. He knew for a fact that guys were pretty much queuing up to ask her out before he proposed to her. They all thought that it was just a matter of time before he and Demi would break up and she would be single and free from any strings.

"I love you."

Demi's words snapped Joe from his thoughts. He smiled. _How does a girl like her fall for someone like me?_

"I love you too, Dem," he whispered. "Forever and always."

* * *

Miley walked into the bedroom of the apartment and sighed. "Nick, can you come here a minute?" she called into the living room. She walked over to the closet and began to look through her clothes for something to wear.

Nick walked into the bedroom. He stopped dead in the door. "Do you have to put clothes on?"

Miley turned around and looked down at herself. She was just wearing her bra and panties with one of Nick's plaid shirts thrown on over it, unbuttoned. She giggled and looked back up at Nick. "Cool it, big boy. I need to get ready for the rehearsal dinner." She pulled out two dresses and threw them on the bed for Nick to decide. "Which do you like better?"

"Personally I'm not into dresses, but -"

"Not for you, stupid! For me."

Nick chuckled. "Right, I knew that." He glanced down at the two dresses again. "God, Mi, I don't know. I'm sure you'll look amazing in both of them."

Miley groaned and threw herself down onto the bed. "OH MY GOSH! You aren't supposed to say that! Tell me which one I'd look worse in."

Nick furrowed his eyebrows, confused by her demand. "Why the hell do you want to know which one you look worse in?"

"_Because_, idiot, if I look better than Demi then I will never forgive myself! This is her night. I am not going to get in the way of her spotlight so that I can look good at her rehearsal dinner." She grinned over at Nick. "I'll get my chance at our rehearsal dinner."

Nick nodded, pretending that he understood what Miley was talking about. He didn't see why Miley couldn't look good. "Um, how about that one?" He pointed to the dress on his right. It was a one shoulder sleeveless lavender dress that went to the knee, made of chiffon.

Miley held it up against herself and looked in the mirror. "Do you think it would be okay? I mean, Demi's wearing red so it's not like I'll stand out that much," she said.

"You'll look great."

Miley headed for the ensuite. "Nick? Do me a favour. Get me a strapless bra out of the drawer." She poked her head out of the bathroom door and smiled. "You never know what you'll get when we come home if you do," she teased. She then slammed the bathroom door behind her and locked it. He heard the shower go on and breathed out a sigh of relief.

Nick threw his head back. She had been driving him crazy all day, teasing him. He had picked her up from Dallas and Leah's apartment at eleven that morning, and ever since, she had been dropping hints about what would happen when they got back from the rehearsal. He knew what was going to happen. She was going to tease him and make him all excited, then she was going to go straight to bed when they got home. He had no idea what she was doing, but she was driving him mad.

He reached into the drawer and pulled out her strapless bra. He tossed it onto the bed and headed into the living room. He had no idea what Miley had up her sleeve, but he knew that it was bound to surprise him. Surprising him was something that Miley never failed to do.

Ten minutes later, he heard the bathroom door open and the padding of footsteps against the bedroom floor. He turned around when he heard them get closer and saw Miley in front of him with only a towel wrapped around him.

"Bathroom's free," she said with a smile.

Miley then turned on her heel and walked back into the bedroom. Nick couldn't help but notice that her towel didn't leave much to the imagination. He didn't even know that they owned a towel that covered up as little of Miley's body as that one did. She really was driving him insane. She had almost pushed him to the point where he wanted to skip the rehearsal and spend the night in their bedroom with all the doors locked and all phones switched off.

Nick followed her into the bedroom. She was in the middle of brushing her hair when he walked up and slipped his arms around her waist. "What game is it you're playing?" he whispered into her ear.

Miley smirked. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She turned to face him. "I don't play games, Nicholas. You should know that." She bit her lip slightly and leaned closer to him. "I get right to the point," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"First time for everything."

"Don't I know it."

She smirked again. "You know, Nick, I really do have to get ready, so if you don't -"

Miley was interrupted by Nick pressing her up against the closet and kissing her, one hand on her waist and one on the back of her head, holding it firmly in place to stop her from pulling away from him. He had been longing to kiss her all day, to touch her, to feel her in his arms. It was the perfect moment. He had caught her off guard, he could tell.

He moved down to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses down to her collar bone.

"Nick," she moaned. "Nick, we can't. We have to – OH! - we have to get ready for the r-rehearsal."

Nick pulled away and backed up towards the ensuite bathroom. He smiled and shrugged at her. "Your loss." He turned on his heel and headed towards the bathroom. "By the way!" he called over his shoulder. He looked around and smirked. "You know where I am if you change your mind." Nick then kicked the bathroom door with his foot, allowing it to slam shut.

Miley watched the closed door as the water was turned on at the other side of the door, left in awe.

"Damn, he's good."

* * *

"You're late."

Miley sat down at her table with Nick. "Sorry, Dem. _Some_ people," she said, glaring over at Nick, "can't drive as quickly as I would like." She gave Demi a quick hug. "You look amazing, Dem." She crossed her legs and smiled. "So, when does the rehearsal start?"

Demi glanced at her phone. "We're all heading over to the back for the ceremony rehearsal in about five minutes. The step-monster's busy getting the food ready for the rehearsal at the minute," she replied.

Demi had never been into getting married at a church. She had always preferred the idea of getting married in her parents' backyard. When her mother died, she had started to hate the idea of ceremonies in church. It always reminded her of her mother's funeral. She couldn't stand remembering that day.

Demi's parents had a big backyard. Their house, to be honest, had a big everything. Demi's father owned a chain of restaurants and bars up and down the state from when he had graduated college. He and Demi's step-mother (or the step-monster, as Demi liked to call her) had helped his daughter organise the wedding of her dreams. The ceremony was to take place in the rose garden, and the reception was to take place in the main area of the garden.

Demi and Miley rose to their feet and began to walk to the rose garden, arm in arm. Miley glanced behind them to make sure that Joe and Nick weren't near.

"I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong?"

Miley glanced behind her again and pulled Demi to the side. "I'm sorry to bug you. I know it's the night before your wedding, and I'm sorry to distract you from that, but it's about Nick." She smiled. "I have an idea. I like it, I really do. I think it would be good for us. I just ..." Miley glanced away. "I want to know what you think."

"What is it?"

"Well, my house is nearly done. The repair guy is almost done. I just ... I think I should sell it."

"You _what_? Miley, that place is ... That place has so many memories for you. So many things happened there for you in that house. I just don't understand why you would want to sell such a big part of your life."

"But that's the thing," Miley said. "That house isn't my home anymore. It hasn't been my home for weeks." She sighed and looked up at the clear blue sky. "That place, even though it holds good memories, is filled with so many bad ones too. It just reminds me of all the times that I wanted to break down or just run away before Nick and Selena broke up. Now that they're over and Nick and I are together, I don't see the point in owning it."

Demi squeezed Miley's hand and smiled. "Whatever you think, sweetie. Have you talked it over with Nick yet?"

Miley shook her head and began walking with Demi again. "No. I think we'll talk about it after the wedding, you know? This weekend is for you and Joe. You don't need us to get in some big argument over something stupid like this. We can wait until you guys have left for your honeymoon."

They stopped at the top of the rose garden. Everyone was ready to start the rehearsal. Miley and Demi stopped at the top of the aisle and smiled at each other. Miley hugged Demi. Even though nobody said anything, they both knew what the other was saying – this was it. It was no longer just the two of them. It was the end of an era. Demi was about to begin the rehearsal for her wedding. Miley was thinking of selling the home that she had spent so many years in and preparing to settle down with Nick, hopefully for good. It was no longer Miley and Demi, partners in crime. They were no longer free, no longer single.

Both of them pulled away. The pianist began to play the entrance music. Miley smiled and Demi before heading down the aisle and towards the archway under which Demi and Joe were to marry. Dallas, Demi's other bridesmaids and Demi's flower girl followed a few steps behind Miley. It was Demi's turn. She took a deep breath and headed down the aisle with her father.

Once the rehearsal was over, the group of people headed back towards the house. They all entered the large living room, where Demi's step mother had put out food and drink for all the guests at the rehearsal. People moved around the room, chatting and having a good time. The sound of a metal fork being tapped against a glass filled the room. Everyone turned to face the centre of the room.

"Excuse me!" Miley called out into the room. "Sorry to disturb you all, but I'm not making a speech tomorrow at the wedding, so I've decided to say a few words tonight." She turned to face Demi and Joe and smiled over at them. "I first met Demi and Joe when I was a kid. We were best friends. All through middle school and high school, Demi was desperately in love with Joe. Everyday I got the same old phonecall at nine o'clock at night. '_Miley, he doesn't love me!'_" Miley grinned at a blushing Demi. "I guess it turns out that he did." She paused. "Demi's been with Joe for years. As her best friend, I can honestly say that Joe is the luckiest guy in the world right now." She took a deep breath as her eyes welled with tears. "I'm so happy for Demi. It's an amazing thing to see your best friend grow into a woman and settle down with the man she loves. Demi, I love you so much. I hope that you have the life you've always dreamed of with Joe." Miley raised her glass. "To Joe and Demi!" she toasted.

The whole room raised their glasses, toasting the happy couple.

Demi came rushing over to Miley, engulfing her in a bear hug. "I love you, Mi," she whispered. "I swear to God, we'll be as close as we ever were." She pulled away and smiled, her eyes filled with tears. "Being married won't change a thing." She glanced over at Nick and smiled. "Besides, I think someone else in your life will be pretty good at distracting you."

Nick slowly came towards the two girls. Demi smiled. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," she said. She then rushed off to find Joe again. Nick grinned at Miley and pulled her close to him by her hand.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" he asked.

"Once or twice."

"Make it three, beautiful."

Miley giggled. "You are the cheesiest guy in the world, you know that?"

"You love it."

She scoffed. "Says who?" She laughs quietly. "Only kidding, Nicholas." She plants a soft kiss on his cheek. "I have to go and talk to Demi about tonight. I'm staying at hers for tomorrow morning. I will most definitely come and find you or I'll call you tonight."

"Bye," Nick replied, kissing her lips lightly. "Have a good time. Joe's coming to ours, right?"

"Yeah, he's heading home with you tonight," Miley replied. "See you tomorrow, Nick." Miley then turned around and walked into the crowd of people surrounding Demi's step-mother, who was talking loudly about how she had been so worried that Dallas and Demi would hate her when she married their father.

Nick walked over to Joe and smiled. "Hey, dude. Excited about tomorrow?" he asked.

Joe took a deep breath and grinned. "I can't believe it's finally happening." Joe raised his beer bottle and glanced over at Demi. "Tomorrow she'll be my wife." He looked back at Nick and smiled. "Can you believe that? After so long, Demi and I are actually going to be married." He sighed contentedly and sat down on the couch. "God, Nick. I wanted her for so long. When I got her, I didn't think I could ever be any happier than I was then. That was until she actually said yes to me."

"Why wouldn't she? Only an idiot would say that she doesn't love you."

"But she could have any guy she wanted. She chose me, bro. A girl like Demi chose me."

Nick chuckled. "Joe, shut up. You know that you could have any girl you wanted, just as much as Demi can. You both could get anyone you wanted." He sat down beside his brother and took a drink from his beer. "You and Demi are clearly meant to be together. Stop thinking about all the guys Demi could have said yes to. Think about how she chose you and _only_ you."

"What if it wasn't only me that she chose?"

Nick stared at Joe, shocked at the words that had just come from his brother's mouth. "Joe, what the hell are you talking about?"

* * *

Miley and Demi walked into the kitchen, carrying empty trays of food. Demi headed straight over to the counter in the middle and began to serve more food out onto the plates that her step-mother had chosen.

"Gosh, Miles, I can't believe it. This is happening _tomorrow_. I'm marrying Joe." Demi smiled to herself as she put some more potato chips into a plain white bowl. "After all this time, we're finally going to get married."

"I'm so happy for you, Demi," Miley said softly.

"Thanks." Demi took a deep breath and grinned up at Miley. "So, what about you and Nick?"

"What about us?"

"Any sign of a proposal yet?"

Miley giggled. "We only just got together."

"Oh please, spare me that 'taking it slow' crap. You've been with him for a few months now, and you've basically known him your entire life. I'd call that slow enough for an engagement. Come on! You two are crazy about each other. Just get it over with and freaking marry the guy!" Demi exclaimed.

"His divorce isn't final yet."

"As long as you don't get married until he is, you aren't doing anything wrong."

"Morally, I am."

"You also allowed him to cheat on his wife with you. I think you've passed morally wrong." Demi sighed, clearly apologetic about her harsh words. "Okay, that was mean. I'm sorry, Mi. I know you would have stopped it if you could have."

Miley didn't answer. Instead, she was thinking about what it would be like if she and Nick really did get married. Demi was right. They had known each other most of their lives. If they took it any slower, she didn't think she'd make it any longer. It hit her. She didn't want to just be with Nick. She didn't want to be considered the homewrecker that ruined Nick's marriage to Selena. She wanted their relationship to be taken seriously by everyone around them. She just wanted them to official. Properly official.

"Mileyyy?"

Miley shook her head. "Sorry, what?"

"Back to the topic of marriage. Any sign of a proposal?"

"I don't know if he's ready to jump into another marriage."

"That boy needs to learn to be spontaneous. Romantic. Getting engaged isn't something that needs to be planned right down to the last little detail. I think that if it feels right and if you love the person, you should easily be able to get engaged."

"Maybe he doesn't trust himself."

Demi scoffed. "With what? Honey, if he gets together with you, the only thing he'll have to control is his hands from touching you 24/7."

Miley went bright red. "Demi!"

"Sweetie, you know that it's true. The guy can hardly keep his hands off you. He probably has to stop himself from taking you up to my dad's room and fucking you right now!" Demi exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh, you're disgusting."

"I'm honest."

The kitchen door opened. Nick walked in.

"Nick!" Miley exclaimed happily. "We were just talking about you."

Nick closed the kitchen door, his jaw locked and his fists clenched. He took a deep breath, not taking his eyes off Demi for even a second. "Mi, could you go out to the party for a minute? I need a word with Demi," he said quietly.

Miley looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. She was trying to work out why he looked so ... angry. "Nick, are you okay?"

"Can you just go? I'll be out in a minute."

Miley looked over at Demi, who nodded for her to go. Miley reluctantly backed away towards the door and slipped out to rejoin the party. Nick closed the door after Miley and stepped further into the kitchen, closer to Demi.

"Gee, what's up your butt?" Demi teased in attempt to lighten the mood.

Nick breathed out. "You know, I really don't get why you of all people could give me the big lecture on breaking hearts whenever I left Selena," he said casually. He then turned to face her and smiled slightly. "You gave me this big talk on how I would hurt Selena so badly and how I didn't even know if Miley and I would last." He shook his head. "You were Miley's best friend, and you tried to talk me out of making her happy."

"Where are you going with this, Nick?" Demi asked, slightly scared at Nick's serious tone.

"Why the hell did you cheat on my brother?"

Demi froze. She had no idea where or how Nick found out, but he did. The truth was ... she couldn't explain it. It had been just after she and Joe had gotten engaged. It wasn't meant to go as far as it did. She knew that she was more than lucky when Joe decided to give her a second chance.

"I ... You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Nick chuckled. "I married a woman who I thought I was in love with. It took me a few years, but it hit me. I wasn't in love with her. I just thought I was." He took a step closer to Demi. "You know, Joe may be older, but he sure as hell isn't wiser. At least when I left Selena, it was a better situation for everyone. She didn't have to be married to a man that didn't love her. But you ... You cheated on the guy you had claimed to love for years. He had fucking proposed to you! You took his ring and you went straight to David." He smirked slightly. "You know what, Demi? I may have been an ass to my wife, but at least I came clean about it. But you ... He had to find you in bed with your high school boyfriend."

"It wasn't like that!" Demi cried desperately. "I love Joe, you know I do! It was just a moment of weakness."

"More than a few, I hear."

Demi's eyes filled with tears. She quickly took a deep breath and stood tall. Who was he to lecture her on cheating? "You know what? I don't have to take this from you. You had an affair with your best friend and broke your wife's heart. You made Selena depressed with all your lies and all your games! Don't you think I know that what happened between David and I was wrong? But think of it this way. At least I didn't go against my vows."

"Maybe not. But at least I didn't sleep with Miley before I told Selena I didn't love her anymore."

"You think that's an excuse? That you didn't sleep with her? Oh, spare me. What you did to Selena was way worse than what I did to Joe, and you know it. You were married. Maybe we were engaged, but I haven't made my vows. Last time I checked, I'm still a free woman. Joe doesn't own me, and neither do you. Back then, I could've done what I wanted, when I wanted."

Nick scoffed. "You are actually trying to justify your dirty little secret." He backed away from his future sister in law, a look of disgust on his face. "Did you even love David? Or did you do it to hurt Joe?"

"I didn't do it for either of those and you know it."

"It must have been one of them, because I can't think of another reason for a woman like you, with a fiancée that would die for her, would go out a break his heart by sleeping with your ex."

Demi slumped down onto a stool at the breakfast bar and buried her face in her hands. "It's over. David's gone. Joe forgave me. He and I are happy again. Why the hell are you getting involved? Why now? Are you trying to ruin my wedding?"

"I'm trying to stop my brother from making a mistake."

"And what mistake would that be? Marrying me, I suppose?"

Nick shrugged. "Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"I guess it won't be long before you go running back to Selena then, huh? Or maybe you'll find a new girl to cheat on Miley with."

Nick slammed his hand against the wooden cupboard beside him and narrowed his eyes. "My situation with Miley is completely different and you know it. I was married to a woman I didn't love. I tried to stay away from Miley but I couldn't. You have said that you love Joe from the moment you started dating him, yet you still went off and slept with some guy!" he yelled.

"DON'T YOU THINK I FELT THAT WAY? Maybe, just maybe, for a fraction of a moment, I wondered if I had stopped loving Joe. David was there. I tried to stop it but I couldn't. It was just supposed to be a kiss to see if I loved Joe, and it proved that I did. But you know better than anyone that it's possible to have feelings for more than one person at a time," Demi replied, her voice loud and angry.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You never could just stick to one girl, could you? Until you met Selena, you could only ever go out with a girl for six months before you found a new catch."

"That has nothing to do with you and Joe."

Demi laughed harshly. "I love how you're trying to make all of your mistakes when it comes to your love life sound perfect, when you make my mistake sound like I killed the guy!"

"You did. You killed his heart."

"This isn't some cheesy movie, Nick! We don't all get a happy ending, and if we do, the journey to the happy ending sure as hell isn't as perfect as we'd like it to be. We make mistakes. We screw up. That doesn't make us bad people. It makes us human." Demi rose to her feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a rehearsal dinner to get back to." She stepped towards the door before turning to face Nick. "You know, you broke Selena's heart in two. Maybe you loved Miley, and that's fine. But I have one question for you. Did you ever, and I mean _ever_, have a moment of weakness when you think you're doing the right thing but you know in your head that you aren't?" She sighed. "Think about _that_ instead of trying to ruin my rehearsal dinner." Demi then yanked the door open and stormed out.

* * *

"Hey, where have you been?"

Demi put on a smile as she reached Joe. She didn't want him to think that she had been fighting with his brother. Even her, the one in the group who was definitely not good with knowing the right thing to say, knew that there was nothing better at killing a mood than telling her husband-to-be that she had just been fighting with his brother the night before her wedding.

"I was -"

"She was just listening to me go on about how I hope you two are happy together."

Demi looked up. Nick had suddenly appeared at Miley's side, a protective arm wrapped around her waist and a false smile plastered onto his face. He glanced over at Demi and quickly looked away. She knew that her words had gotten to him.

"Yeah, that's it," she said to Joe.

Joe nodded, not convinced. He glanced at his brother. Demi knew just by looking at Joe that he had been the one who had come clean about her affair. She took a deep breath. She wasn't going to get into a fight over it. Not then. It was the night before their wedding. It wasn't the time to get involved in a screaming match about something that had taken place years beforehand.

"So, are you having a good time?" she asked him.

Joe smiled. "Tell your step-mom that she really is an awesome cook."

Demi rolled her eyes. "Probably all purchased in the frozen section at the supermarket," she mumbled. She folded her arms across her chest and plastered on another fake smile. She turned to face Miley. "Miles, can you come out to the garden with me? I left my purse out there."

"Uh, sure." Miley planted a soft kiss on Nick's cheek before following Demi out to the garden. As they left the room, they heard Demi's father announcing that they were about to move out to the garden for the main meal. Instead of heading to the tables where Miley could see Demi's red clutch sitting at the head table, Demi pulled Miley further down the garden, right down to the rose garden.

Demi stopped, grinding to a halt. She turned to face Miley, her eyes filled with tears. "Miley, I've screwed up," she whispered. She then let out a loud sob and burst into tears, hugging Miley tightly as a source of comfort.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Miley asked, hugging Demi back.

Demi pulled away and took a deep breath. "I-I cheated on Joe." She noticed the horrified look on Miley's face and quickly spoke again. "It was years ago! But now Nick knows and he's beyond pissed off at me and I'm so scared that this is going to ruin the wedding because Nick found out from Joe and I just want to be with Joe but he clearly doesn't see it that way so I -"

Miley gripped Demi by the shoulders and smiled. "Dem, is that all?" she asked. Demi nodded. Miley giggled. "Sweetie, if it happened years ago, you have nothing to worry about. If Joe knows and he took you back, he obviously wants to be with you, no matter what you've done in the past." She sat down on a bench and invited Demi to join her. "You and Joe are so perfect together, Dem. Everyone can see it. You are meant to be together." She pulled Demi close and let Demi cry into her shoulder. "You and Joe have obviously worked hard to get through it. If he was willing to go on with the wedding, even though he knew about your mistake, then he really must love you." Miley smiled down at Demi. "Now why don't you calm down and tell me the whole story?"

Demi sat up and sniffed. "Joe had just proposed. About two or three weeks later, he and I had just had a huge fight about my step-mom. He was trying to make her sound like some sort of saint. I had gotten so pissed off and just went to go work for a while. When I got there, David was there too. He listened to my problems and comforted me. I thought hey, he doesn't seem like such a bad guy. So for one tiny moment, I wondered if I really did love Joe. And one moment was all it took. Before I knew it, I was kissing David." Demi sighed and wiped away stray tears. "I liked him, but I knew I loved Joe. I wanted to end it. I tried to stay away from David, but it got to be more than I expected. It turned into late nights and early mornings at the office, more conferences in different cities, more dinner meetings after hours, less time on my lunch break. It was getting so serious ... One day, David and I were in my apartment. We didn't hear Joe come in and ..."

"He walked in," Miley finished, her voice a soft whisper.

Demi nodded. "David left. Joe and I got into a huge fight. He even ended it. I called David to ask him to come over and talk, but his roommate told me that David had just left to go and live with his parents back in Florida for a while. So I told everyone that I was going on vacation, but the truth was that I just sat in my apartment and cried for five days straight. Then Joe came over. He told me he was willing to give us another chance. And then we just moved on from there."

"Oh Demi," Miley said, hugging Demi tighter.

"I thought it was over. I thought we had worked through it. But I guess if he's willing to bring it up to Nick, he isn't as over it as I thought." She sighed and closed her eyes. "What am I going to do? Nick hates me now. Joe's clearly having doubts, and the wedding is tomorrow!"

Miley rose to her feet and smiled. "You forget about the boys. Leave it to me. You just focus on the wedding." She helped Demi to her feet. "Now go and enjoy your rehearsal dinner." Miley watched as Demi headed down the path and towards the area of the garden where the rehearsal dinner was, away from the tables for the actual reception the next day. "And send Nick down here!" she called after her.

**HI GUYS! I hoped to get this up sooner, but then my internet crashed. On the bright side, it's a long one! So yeah, hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to review! Means a lot. Maybe my nagging about reviews gets a bit annoying sometimes, but it really is important to me.**

**Thanks to FirePrincess251, skatergurl2789 (I don't think that the story will show the tour, unless I do a sequel, and if I do, that will be in a long time. So I guess nobody knows whether or not the tour comes between them), xImASmilerx, nileyxtruexlove (Ha, don't worry about it!), TheMsBrandy1 (Thank you! Yeah, I know. I mean, I know that there are stories in different categories with a plot similar to my new one, but I haven't seen any Hannah Montana Fanfics about that particular topic yet), lovetowrite07, foreverandalways333 and LaLaLax6. Your reviews are much appreciated. Keep 'em coming!**

**I've decided I'm going to interact with my readers a bit more, maybe get some good ol' discussions going! So at the end of every chapter, I'm going to ask the opinions of the readers on a certain topic. This chapter's question: What are your opinions on Demi Lovato's recent situation? I don't mean the things that happened before. That's her business. I'm just wondering how everyone feels about her coming out and talking about it. I'll tell you lot what I think in the next author's note x**

**So yeah ... Remember to review. Hope you enjoyed x Thanks for all your support!**


	19. Chapter 19

"Am I in trouble?"

"Damn right you are."

Nick smiled sheepishly. "Come on, Mi. You know that I was just doing what I thought was best for Joe. I'm sorry if I hurt you or Demi, but Joe's my brother. I'm just trying to look out for him," Nick explained.

"Joseph is old enough to take care of himself." Miley let out a sigh. "It's their rehearsal dinner. Really, Nick? You felt the need to do this the night before their wedding? Tomorrow is meant to be the best day of Demi's life. She doesn't need to be worrying about something that ended years ago. Right now, she loves Joe and she wants to be with him and only him. You need to forget her past and focus on helping them to make tomorrow a success."

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to." Miley turned to walk away. She made it a little bit up the path before she turned around and smiled slightly. "Nick, I love you. But tonight? You were a complete ass to someone who is one of your best friends." She then turned around again and walked away, the only sound being her heels clicking against the cobblestones beneath her.

Nick sighed, frustrated. He understood what she was saying. He was the first to admit that he had been a complete ass to Demi back in the kitchen, but wouldn't any guy do the same to look out for his brother. Joe had watched over Nick his whole life. When their parents were working or when they were actually around but fighting instead of caring for their sons, Joe had protected Nick. All Nick wanted was to give his brother the same kind of protection. He didn't think he was asking for much.

He slowly began to walk in the direction Miley had gone. He knew that he had to apologise to Demi. He just didn't know how to say it without causing offence. Believe it or not, Nick wasn't exactly the best with words and finding the right thing to say.

He reached the party and plastered a cheesy grin on his face. He didn't want to be caught off guard by any relatives that were photographing every single thing. He took great steps towards his seat at his table, right beside Miley. He turned to smile at her, but she turned her head.

He let out a sigh. "What will it take for you to talk to me?"

"You know."

Nick sighed again. It felt like the only thing he had been doing that night was sighing. He was frustrated, angry, confused, annoyed. He didn't know what to think about the situation he was in anymore. He rose to his feet and walked over to Demi and Joe's table.

Demi turned to look up at Nick. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Can I talk to you? In private."

"There's nothing you can say to me that you can't say in front of Joe. So, shoot. What's wrong?"

Nick sighed once again. He hated apologising to anybody, never mind doing it in front of his brother, the person who had never heard the word 'sorry' come from Nick's mouth. "Demi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you, and I shouldn't have judged you. Scratch that, I shouldn't have even brought it up with you. What happened back then was between you and Joe, and it was none of business. I'm sorry for sticking my nose in and getting involved."

Demi smiled and hugged Nick. "Apology accepted." She hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. "About what I said about you and Miley. I was out of line for even suggesting that you would cheat on Miley. I kind of understand your situation with Selena. You did what you did because it was best for everyone. I get it." She pulled away and smiled again. "So, are you enjoying the rehearsal dinner?"

Nick chuckled. "I sat down for about ten seconds before I came over here."

"Did Miley send you?"

"Not exactly, but she implied that if I didn't come over right now, she wouldn't talk to me at all through dinner, so I figured I may as well say it while I know where you definitely are." He glanced over his shoulder at Miley, who was sitting at their table with Dallas, laughing and smiling at something that Dallas' boyfriend, Jack, had said. "I better head back over and talk to her. I'll see you tomorrow." He waved at Demi and turned around to head back to his table.

* * *

"Demi, come on! We have to leave in ten minutes!'

Miley stood out the bathroom door, leaning against the wall. The wedding would begin in an hour and a half, and they had to be at the church at least an hour beforehand to get Demi's make-up and dress on. At the pace they were going, they were going to be beyond late.

The bathroom door opened. Demi's hair was down in her natural curls. She had her make-up bag in her hand. She had slipped on a pair of sweats and one of Joe's t-shirts after her shower. She smiled at Miley. "Is the dress definitely at the my dad's? We definitely didn't leave it here or anything?" she asked.

Miley smiled back and linked her arm in Demi's. "No, it's definitely at your dad's. Dallas brought it over last night."

Demi and Miley soon reached the car that was awaiting them outside the apartment building. They both slipped in and sat in silence as the car began to move in the general direction of the house in which Demi spent her childhood, going down windy roads outside the city, through the suburbs. Soon enough, they reached the house. When they got there, Miley and Demi ran through the front door, calling a greeting to Demi's dad and step-mother before sprinting upstairs to Demi's old bedroom.

Demi pushed the door open, pulled Miley in, and locked it behind her. She then turned around and smiled at the wedding dress that was lying on the bed beside the bridesmaids dresses. She slowly walked towards it and ran her finger down the fabric.

"It's today ..." she whispered. "It's finally happening."

"I'm so happy for you, Dem."

Demi took a deep breath and picked up her dress, looking at it carefully. "I was so scared last night that he would call off the wedding. I thought he had moved on. I didn't realise that he still cared about it as much as he did." She put the dress down and looked at Miley again. "I mean, it was years ago. I chose him, he chose me. We had decided to get married, for God's sake! I just ... I guess I never thought about how much it really did hurt him." She took a deep breath and sat on the stool at her vanity table. She stared into the mirror at herself and smiled. "God, my hands are shaking."

Miley stepped towards her. "Hang on, I'll do your make-up for you." She giggled as she grabbed Demi's make-up bag from the bed and put it down on the vanity, unzipping it carefully so as the contents didn't spill out. "We don't want your mascara to be all over the place, do we?"

"It'll be all over the place during the ceremony anyway," Demi giggled.

Miley began to put on Demi's make-up and smiled down at her best friend. "I'm so proud of you, Dem. You've come so far." She hesitated before continuing what she had originally planned to say. "I remember what you were like before college. I ... I wish it didn't, but it scared me." Her eyes filled with tears. "I was scared for you. I was scared that I would lose you. I'm so proud of you for coming out of that situation. You're stronger than ever." Miley sighed and smiled. "You are the strongest person I know, Dem. I just know that you and Joe are going to be so happy together. I hope that you and him have an amazing life together."

Demi smiled up at Miley. "Thank you, Miley." She paused. "Don't be mad at Nick for last night. I get where he was coming from. He was just looking out for Joe. You should be proud of him for caring enough about his own mistakes to stop Joe and I from making the same ones." She took Miley's hand, stopping her from doing what she was doing. "He loves you, Miley. Never forget that, and never let him go. That boy loves you, and he will fight until the end to protect you. I hope that you know that."

Miley took a deep breath. "Forget about me and Nick. Today is your day. You and Joe."

Demi ignored her. "I mean it, Miley. Don't ever forget that he loves you with everything in him." She smiled up at her friend. "He would die for you. That day of the earthquake ... Before the nurse told him how you were doing, he was a wreck. He was in with Joe and I, torn up about how he wouldn't be able to get by without you."

Miley stood in silence. The truth was that she and Nick had hardly said a word to each other at the rehearsal dinner once he had returned to the table. She was still angry at him for being such a hypocrite. He couldn't have an affair and then get angry at Demi for doing the exact same thing years beforehand.

"Anyway!" Demi exclaimed, seeing that she had upset Miley. "Let's get this make-up done."

Half an hour later, both of them had their hair and make-up finished. Demi, who in the end had decided to keep her hair down in her natural curls instead of doing anything fancy, was in the bathroom, putting on her dress. Miley, who had decided to go with a simple braid near the front of her head and pin it up at the back, was putting away the make-up and getting her dress ready. She looked over at it.

After the earthquake, Demi had decided to get different dresses. She thought that the ones at the mall, although they were on the safe side, brought too many sad memories, and all she had wanted were happy memories on her wedding day.

Miley's dress went to the floor. It was deep pink. It had a strapless sweetheart neckline and was beaded around the top and just above the waist. Under the beads, it flowed out. It went with a pair of matching pink heels. Miley quickly slipped on her dress and looked in the mirror. She smiled. She was happy with it. She looked good, without upstaging the bride and taking the spotlight from her.

"I'm coming out!"

Miley quickly turned to face the bathroom. She watched as the knob turned. The door swung open, but no one stepped out. "Dem, where are you?"

Demi stepped out from the bathroom. Miley had to hold in a gasp. Demi looked _amazing_. The white dress was strapless with a double-wrap midriff. When the double-wrap ended, the dress puffed out into a ballgown design, made of tulle and silk. The toes of Demi's white heels could be seen, with the pearl detail on them. Her dark complexion made the white bounce off her skin. Her long dark curls flowed over her shoulders.

Demi twirled. "Well?" she asked nervously.

Miley went over to her and hugged her tightly. "Dem, you look amazing. I've never seen you look as beautiful in your life," she whispered. She pulled back and grinned. "Joe is going to drop dead when he sees you coming down the aisle."

Demi smiled. "Thank you." She headed over to her bedroom window that looked out onto the rose garden. She glanced back at Miley. "The seats are filling up." She bit her lip, clearly desperate to say something but holding it in with all her might. "There's something you should know, Miley," she said softly. She sat down on the bed. "I know you'll be mad, but please understand that I did it for a good reason and I didn't aim to cause drama or anything, but -"

"Just spit it out."

"I invited Selena." Demi's eyes filled with alarm at the horrified look on Miley's face. "Mi, Selena was my friend. She's going through a rough time. Her mom said that she's doing a lot better now that she's living at home. I just thought that Selena could try and reconnect with all her old friends here. She lost touch with everybody once she and Nick split. The last anyone heard, she was talking to her lawyer about the divorce." She sighed. "I didn't mean to cause drama between you and Nick. I know you two are already dealing with last night and stuff, but I just thought it would be good for Selena. Besides, no one knows if she'll even show up. She never sent back an RSVP or anything. We set a place at one of the tables for her, just in case she did show up, but no one knows for sure." Demi took a deep breath, evidently glad to get it all out.

Miley opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of Demi's bedroom door knocking. Miley went over and unlocked it. Dallas burst into the room with their father. She grinned at her sister.

"Looking good, D!"

Dallas then grabbed her dress, the same as Miley's, and walked into the bathroom. Their father stepped in and closed the door after him. He opened his arms to Demi. Demi ran over and hugged her father tightly.

"You look beautiful, Demetria," he said softly.

Demi laughed. "Dad, I told you to call me Demi."

"I've always called you Demetria and I won't stop just because it's your wedding day." He planted a kiss on Demi's head and smiled at Miley. "Good afternoon, Miley Ray. You look lovely." He then turned to Demi's bathroom. "Dallas, get ready quickly. The wedding begins in five minutes!" He then smiled and Demi and Miley again. "I'll see you two down there." He then left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Dallas yanked the bathroom door open and skipped into Demi's bedroom. She twirled in her dress, obviously excited for her little sister's wedding. "Excited, Dem?" she asked, quickly checking her hair and make-up in Demi's mirror.

"Very."

Dallas turned to face Miley and Demi and glanced out the window. "Joe's at the altar with Nick." She turned to the two women and grinned. "Let's get you married, little sis."

* * *

Joe glanced at his watch for what seemed to Nick like the fiftieth time in ten minutes.

"You don't think she's changed her mind, do you?" Joe asked nervously.

Nick glanced at the crowd of people that had all taken their seats. Nearly everyone was seated and ready, except for a few people arriving late, who were slipping into the remaining seats at the back of the rose garden. He turned to look at his brother and smiled. "Nah, she'll be here. They're probably just finishing getting ready."

Joe looked at his younger brother and bit his lip. "She wants this, right? She isn't having doubts or anything, is she?" he asked, more nervous than before, if that was possible. He looked at the top of the rose garden, hoping Demi would appear. "She definitely wants to marry me?"

"She said yes when you proposed, didn't she?"

"And she'll be here?"

"She'll be here."

As if on cue, the minister straightened up. The congregation all rose to their feet. The pianist and violinist began to play Pachelbel's 'Canon in D'. Miley appeared at the end of the rose garden. Slowly, with her bunch of flowers clasped tightly, she began to walk down the aisle, smiling as she went. She reached the end of the aisle and smiled at Joe. She glanced over at Nick and smiled slightly. Dallas then proceeded to walk down the aisle, just like Miley had. She reached the end and stood beside Miley. She was followed by the flower girl, Demi's little cousin, Sierra.

Then it was Demi's turn. She slowly began to go down the aisle with her father. Joe felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her. She looked amazing. He let out a deep breath and smiled, his eyes sparkling at the sight of his bride. They soon reached the altar. Her father kissed her forehead lovingly and whispered something in her ear. He then reached over and shook Joe's hand before going to his seat beside his wife.

Demi took her place opposite Joe and smiled softly at him. He smiled back.

"Not looking too bad," he whispered, grinning at her.

"Not too shabby yourself."

The minister cleared his throat and stood tall. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the presence of these witnesses, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony," he called out to the congregation.

Throughout the ceremony, Demi never took her eyes off Joe, and he never looked away from her. Neither of them ever stopped smiling.

Soon, it was time for the couple to recite their vows. Joe cleared his throat and took Demi's hands. He grinned at her. He listened as the minister recited what Joe was to repeat. When he was ready, he squeezed Demi's hand.

"I, Joseph Adam Gray, take you, Demetria Devonne Monroe, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part: according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness."

"Demetria," the minister said.

Demi smiled up at Joe and bit her lip slightly. "I, Demetria Devonne Monroe, take you, Joseph Adam Gray, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part: according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness," she repeated.

The minister smiled. "May I please have the rings?" he said.

Nick reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and took out the ring box. He smiled and handed them to the minister for the exchanging on the rings.

The minister cleared his throat once more. "Father, bless these rings which Joseph and Demetria have set apart to be visible signs of the inward and spiritual bond which unites their hearts. As they give and receive these rings, may they testify to the world of the covenant made between them here."

Joe took the ring for Demi and smiled as he slipped it onto her finger. "Receive and wear this ring as a symbol of my trust, my respect and my love for you," he said.

Demi smiled with tears in her eyes. She took Joe's ring from the minister and slowly slid it onto his finger. "Receive and wear this ring as a symbol of my trust, my respect and my love for you," she said softly. She wiped away a stray tear. "I love you," she whispered.

Joe smiled and squeezed her hand in reply.

The minister recited the closing prayer before smiling out at the congregation. "Now that Joseph and Demetria have given themselves to each other by the promises they have exchanged, I pronounce them to be husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The minister turned to Joe and smiled at him. "Joseph, you may now kiss your bride."

Joe grinned at Demi and placed his hands on her waist, pulling her close. "Hello, Mrs Gray," he whispered. He then leaned down and kissed her deeply. Demi wrapped her arms around Joe's neck as he dipped her slightly. The congregation applauded. Joe and Demi pulled apart, smiling.

"It is now my privilege to introduce to you for the first time, Mr and Mrs Joseph Gray!"

Joe and Demi joined hands and headed down the aisle, followed by Dallas and Sierra.

Nick stepped towards Miley and held his arm out for her, a small smile on his face as he looked at her. She took his arm and walked down the aisle with her, smiling at the people she knew in the congregation as she went. When they reached the end, instead of heading to the reception area, Nick led her in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?"

Nick didn't answer. Instead, he led her to the front of the house, right in front of the water fountain in the middle of the cobbled entryway.

"I'm sorry I was an ass yesterday. I never meant to upset you the way I did. I just ... I didn't want Joe to get hurt. I screwed up, and I take full responsibility for my actions." He pulled her close. "If I could take it all back right here, right now, I would. I promise you that."

"Do you love me?"

Nick chuckled. "What kind of question is that?"

She ignored his comment. "Well?"

"Of course I do. We wouldn't be here right now if I didn't."

"Then why did you make it sound as if you cheating on Selena was the worst thing in the world. Because, let me think. If you didn't cheat on Selena, we wouldn't be together right now. So I'm sorry if that confuses me slightly about whether or not you love me."

He took her heads. "Mi, I love you so much that it nearly killed me last night when I thought about how mad you were at me." He stroked her cheek gently and smiled. "Baby, you are my life now. I don't care about what happened with Selena or what's going to happen in the future. Right now, you mean the world to me and I don't want you to be mad at me because I was being stupid."

She sighed. "I'm not mad at you."

He smiled. "Really?"

"Really."

"Shall we head back then?" he asked.

Nick took Miley's hand and led her back through the house and out to where the reception was being held. They went up to the top table to take their places, but Joe, Demi, Dallas and their parents were all gone.

Nick's cousin leaned back. "You guys should probably go and get your pictures taken down in the rose garden with everyone else."

Nick thanked his cousin and went down to the rose garden with Miley. They saw Joe and Demi getting their pictures taken under the arch where the minister had been standing.

"If we could get the best man and the groom!" the photographer called.

Soon enough, all the photos had been taken. They all headed up to the reception. The lead singer of the band playing saw them coming and grabbed his microphone. "Everybody welcome Mr and Mrs Joe Gray!" he called out.

The party all began to clap as Joe and Demi walked in with his arm around her. Demi started to laugh as they all headed to the top table.

Once everyone was seated and comfortable, Demi's father stood up and was handed the microphone by a member of the band. "Hello, everyone. I'd like to thank you all for coming out today. As you all know, today is my youngest daughter's wedding day." He turned to Demi and Joe and smiled. "I'd like to congratulate Demetria and her new husband, Joe, on their marriage. Demetria, I am so proud of you today. You have settled down with a man who you love." He turned to Joe. "Joe, take care of my little girl. I'm relying on you." He turned to the party and smiled once more. "I would like to thank everyone involved in making today such a special one. It truly is one of the most unforgettable things in my life." He glanced at the house. "We will now start the meal."

Once the starter was out of the way, Nick rose to his feet. "Sorry, if I could have your attention." He cleared his throat. "Hi, I'm Nick. Some of you know me as best man. Some of you know me as Joe's younger brother. Some of you know me as close friend of Demi. I've known Demi since I was a kid. Even when we were little, she always dreamed of a perfect white wedding where she would marry the man of her dreams." He turned and smiled. "Congrats, Dem. Your wish came true." He turned back to the crowd and grinned. "Joe was never one to settle down before he and Demi got together. To be quite honest, he was a bit of a player. Then he got together with his best friend and, like magic, he was finally serious about a girl." Nick cleared his throat again. "Joe, Demi, I am so happy for you guys. You deserve each other." He raised his glass. "To Joe and Demi!"

Dallas then rose to her feet. "Hey! I'm Dallas, Demi's sister. You know, maid of honour." She smiled down at Demi. "When we were kids, our mom died. Our dad had to work to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I looked after Demi while Dad was working. The thing is ... I guess I never expected my baby sister to grow up." Her eyes watered slightly. "Demi, sweetie, you are one of the kindest and most beautiful women I have ever met in my life. I love you." She took a deep breath. "You know, Gandhi once said, 'Be the change you wish to see in the world'. I know for a fact that my sister wants everyone to be kind and gentle. And you know what? She lives out Gandhi's words. She is the change that she wishes to see in the world. She treats everyone with the same kindness, respect and love. I guess that's one of the reasons Joe fell for her, huh?" She laughed. "Demi, Joe, I love you both. I hope that you have a happy life together. To Demi and Joe!"

The main course was then brought out. Most people ate their meals fairly quickly, waiting for the speech from Joe's father. Once everyone had finished eating and the plates had been cleared by the catering staff, Joe's father took to the stage.

"Thank you everybody for coming out tonight. I hope you all enjoyed your meal. Now, I'll be the first to admit that Joseph didn't have the best upbringing in the world. His mother and I could have been better parents to him and his brothers. But I am proud to say that, despite or failings as parents, he has turned out to be an extraordinary young man. He treats Demi here with the greatest love, affection and respect. I am so proud that he has settled down with a good girl." He smiled as he looked at the newlyweds. "I am so happy that both of them are happy together. They really are a great couple. God bless them." He raised his glass. "To Joe and Demi!" He went to walk off the stage, but rushed back to the microphone, grinning. "By the way, you two, I'm expecting grandchildren." He laughed and walked off stage.

The lead singer of the band returned to the stage and grinned. "It's time for the bride and groom's first dance."

Demi and Joe grinned at each other as they headed down to the dance floor. 'I'm Yours' by The Script began to play as Joe and Demi slowly began to dance, arms wrapped around each other and smiled into one another's faces. The party clapped as he twirled Demi, the cheesy grin never leaving his face. They truly looked happier than they ever had before.

Nick took Miley's hand and led her out onto the dancefloor as Dallas and her boyfriend did the same. Miley wrapped her arms around Nick's neck and smiled up at him.

"You know, you're not too bad of a dancer," she whispered.

He chuckled. "You ain't so bad yourself."

They danced to the song in a comfortable silence. She bit her lip slightly. She was beyond happy to be there with him in that moment. They were watching their best friends get ready to spend the rest of their lives together. Nick's divorce was going more quickly than they had realised. They were no longer fighting. Things were good. It was turning out to be a good day.

Miley opened her eyes and smiled up at Nick once more. "I love you. So much," she whispered.

Nick smiled back and kissed her forehead gently. "I love you too, Mi. Forever and always."

The music stopped. Nick took Miley by the hand and pulled her to the side of the dancefloor to make room for the rest of the party to dance to 'Livin' on a Prayer'. Miley backed away from the dancefloor, the smile never leaving her face. She accidentally bumped into someone behind her.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry!" she said.

She turned around to apologise again to the person. Her jaw dropped. Her grip on Nick's hand tightened. Her legs felt like jelly as she stared at the person in front of her. No ... How could she be here? She hadn't shown up for the ceremony. Why the reception?

"Hello, Miley." Selena smiled. Her long dark curls cascaded down her back. Her big brown eyes didn't look angry or vicious. They portrayed happiness and joy. Miley didn't understand what was going. Selena cleared her throat and straightened her light red dress. She smiled once more. "You look nice."

Nick's arm slipped around Miley's waist protectively. "What are you doing here?" he whispered, his voice filled with panic. It wasn't like he wanted his soon to be ex-wife and his girlfriend fighting at his brother's wedding. "I thought you were at your mom's house." He sighed. "Does Demi know that you're here? Because if she doesn't, I swear to God -"

Selena smiled. "Relax. Demi invited me." Selena slipped past Miley and giggled slightly. She turned to Nick. "Funny, isn't it? This time a few years ago, we were getting ready for our wedding. Now you're at your brother's wedding with one of my best friends." She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "By the way, Nicholas, you needn't worry that I'm going to jump your girlfriend. I've moved on." She smiled slightly. It seemed like all she was doing was smiling. "And don't worry, I'm not going to have a mental breakdown." She glanced at Nick over her shoulder. "I'm on medication these days." Selena then walked off into the crowd.

Nick and Miley stood in silence as they stared at the spot where Selena had once been.

"Did that just happen?"

"I think it did."

**Hello everybody (: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. So there's only going to be another one or two chapters of YWFAT. After that, updates on the story I'm starting after this won't come out as frequently. I have exams in June, which are important to me. They aren't important for getting into uni or anything, but I want to do well in them as I'm starting GCSE courses next year and I want to prove to myself that I'll do okay in them. So the updates will be kind of far apart. But don't worry, I'll still update (:**

**Okay, now my answer on my question in the last chapter. Some of you, I think, misunderstood my question. I went Demi's real life situation, not the one in the story. But that's okay! Personally, I am beyond proud of her. I've loved her from day one, and to hear about all she's been through and to find out that she came out of it stronger than ever makes me love her even more. I think it's amazing that she's bringing attention to the problems that teenage girls are facing these days. I think that we're all so pressured into being perfect little dolls that we get carried away and lose ourselves. So I think that by bringing the issues into the attention of the public, Demi is doing an amazing thing.**

**SPEAKING OF WEDDINGS. Congratulations to Prince William and Kate Middleton! I watched the wedding on television, and it was beautiful :)**

**Thanks to R'Canena (Aw, thank you! Hope you had a good time in Switzerland), thousandreasons, chem, lovetowrite07, FirePrincess251, TheMsBrandy1, skatergurl2789, LaLaLax6, naykrus180, xxIMAGINEPEACExx and xImASmilerx for your reviews. All were much appreciated x**

**Question: What does everyone think of Joe and Nick's Hawaii pictures? ;)**

**Don't forget to review! Until next time x**


	20. Chapter 20

She stared at the white cake in front of her eyes, a slightly jealous twinkle in her eye. She couldn't help but think about how _her_ cake had been bigger and better. _Her_ cake had been more carefully detailed. _Her_ cake had been designed and created by the best caterer in town.

"Selena, want a slice?"

Selena looked up. Demi was holding out a plate to her with a happy smile on her face. Selena plastered on a similarly happy face and took the plate from Demi. "Thanks, Dem." She took a step forward and touched Demi's arm. "By the way, you look gorgeous." Selena then walked off into the crowd, her smile immediately leaving her face when she turned around.

_Her _dress had been more beautiful. _Her _parents had paid for a proper ballroom at the most expensive hotel in town. _Her_ husband had been more gentle and had never once left her side. _Her_ wedding had all round been a better one.

"Selena!"

She turned around as she reached her table. Miley was coming towards her. She rolled her eyes slightly. She wasn't in the mood to put up with Miley, especially after Miley had basically stolen her husband just months beforehand.

"Miley!"

"I kind of wanted to talk to you about something."

"What?"

Miley sighed. "I'm sorry about the way things panned out between us. I never meant to cause you any hurt. I know that you don't owe me anything at all after what I did to you, but I was wondering if, now that you're better, you could consider being friends again," she said.

Selena pursed her lips. Was she hearing this? The woman who her husband cheated on her with actually wanted her to even consider being friends again, after all that she had done to her marriage.

"No thanks."

"But, I thought you were better now. You were so nice before."

Selena smiled cruelly. "Nick's not here right now, so I don't have to play that whole sweet ex-wife who's completely over him role. You stole my husband, Miley. You took the most important thing in my life from me. You ruined my entire life. Because of you, I have no husband, no job, no friends, no apartment of my own. I'm fucking alone because of you. I live with my mother, Miley. Do you know how that makes me feel? How dare you even think that I would consider being friends with you!"

"You know what? Fine. You're not over Nick? I get that. But being a complete bitch to me won't bring you two back together. He's done with you, Selena."

Selena glared icily at Miley. "That occurred to me once the divorce papers arrived through the mailbox."

"I am sorry that things worked out the way they did, but we can't change the past. It's over. Let's all just move on. I understand if you don't want to be friends again, but I would appreciate if you could be civil towards me." She smiled slightly. "I'm not the only bad guy here, Selena. There are people involved in this that you don't even know about. You can't put all the blame on me, just because I was the one who got together with Nick." Miley then turned around and walked off into the crowd.

Selena growled slightly under her breath. No way was Miley getting the better of her like that. She threw her plate down on the table. Miraculously, it didn't shatter. Selena then narrowed her eyes and stormed off into the crowd. One way or another, she was going to find Miley, and she was going to give her exactly what she deserved.

* * *

"PEEK A BOO!"

Nick removed Miley's hands from his eyes and laughed. "Are you back to being six years old again?" he asked.

Miley grinned up at him. "Nothing wrong with a bit of fun and games." She took him by the hand and led him out onto the dance floor. "Let's dance!" Just as they stepped on the make-shift floor, 'Make You Feel My Love' came on.

Nick smiled. It had been his favourite song ever since he was a kid. When he thought of it, he always seemed to think of Miley. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They slowly began to sway in silence, happy to just be holding each other and swaying in time to the music.

"I love you." His planted a gentle kiss on her head and smiled into her hair. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in her scent. He smiled as he began to sing along to the song._ "No doubt in my mind where you belong." _He felt the shape of her mouth change to a smile against his shoulder. He smiled to himself once more as they continued to move together, not saying a word to each other.

It was just them. It was how they always were. He felt as though she belonged there, in his arms, just the two of them moving slowly to the time of the music. It was their song. It reminded him of all the things he felt for her. All the things he would do for her. He really would do anything to make her happy and keep her safe. The song simply reminded him of his feelings.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too, Mi," he replied.

"May I step in?"

Miley turned her head and saw Selena standing there, a smile plastered on her face for Nick. She stopped dancing but tightened her grip on Nick slightly. What the hell was she doing? Why the hell did she want to dance with Nick. Their marriage was over. It was dead and gone.

"I don't think -"

"Sure."

Miley looked at Nick and widened her eyes in shock. Never mind Selena's motive. What the hell did he want to dance with Selena for? He's the one that was the angriest at Selena for all she had said and done just after they split up. He's the one that said he wouldn't be sorry if he never saw her again. He's the one that left her and ended their marriage in the first place.

He looked back at her, as if to tell her that it was the least he could do. His wife wanted to dance with him. He had broken her heart and ruined her life. The least he could do was dance with her, just once.

Miley shrugged and turned on her heel. "I'll be inside," she mumbled. She then walked off the dancefloor and into the crowd of people along the edge of the dancefloor, watching the couples dance. Nick stared after her, concerned. He hadn't intended to hurt her feelings. He just didn't want to be an ass to Selena, not after everything that he had already put her through. He heard the back door of Demi's house slammed and closed his eyes. He has just screwed up for the second time in only a few days.

Before Nick could go after Miley, Selena slipped her arms around his neck and began to dance.

"How's life?" she asked, smiling.

"Good."

"How's your mom? She looks happy tonight."

"She is."

Selena sighed and closed her eyes. "Nick, just because we're getting a divorce doesn't mean we can't be friendly towards each other. I'm on my medication. I'm feeling so much better now than I ever was before. I'm happy for you and Miley. You deserve each other. Please don't push me out because of how I acted before," she said softly.

Nick didn't say a word. He looked at her. She didn't seem as happy as she had once been, back in the past, but she definitely seemed happier than she had when they first bumped into each other at the wedding. Even so, he couldn't get the idea of her putting on some act to impress him out of his head. He knew Selena like the back of his hand. He could read her like a book. There was no way in hell that she would be so polite to the man that cheated on her with his best friend. She wouldn't become the fool who forgave him. He knew her. She would never put herself in such a vulnerable position again.

"I miss you, Nick," she whispered.

Nick tried to slip out of her grasp and dropped his hands from her waist. "Selena ..."

Selena's grip tightened around his neck, making sure that he couldn't get away. "No, hear me out." She smiled slightly and leaned closer to his face. "We were good together, Nicky." She sighed contentedly and smiled again. "I forgive you. I understand that you made a horrible mistake and I'm willing to take you back. We can go back to how we were. I'll move back in and I'll start my job again. We can renew our vows. We can even start talking about kids again."

"Selena, stop ..."

"I'm serious, Nicky. I know why you're with Miley. I know that you don't want to hurt her like you hurt me. But don't worry, sweetie. She isn't so innocent. Her parents are Southerners, right? Well, they're supposed to be emotionally strong and stuff, right? She'll be okay. You don't have to -"

"Selena!"

Selena stopped and stared at Nick, shocked at his sharp, angry tone. "Nick, I -"

"I said stop it. You and I aren't getting back together." He slipped out of her grasp and backed away. "Our marriage ended the day we even began to talk about children and you know it. We weren't meant to be together. We're over. I'm not going back to you." He smiled softly. "I loved you once, Sel. I'm sorry I hurt you. I just ... I don't love you anymore." Nick then turned and walked away from Selena.

He walked over to their table, where he saw Miley sitting down and talking to his mother. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Nicholas! Miley here was telling me about you two heading to Laguna the other week. She says that it was truly amazing." She stood up and hugged her son. "You look handsome tonight." She kissed his cheek. "I better go and find your father. I'll see you two later." His mother then walked off towards where Nick had just come from.

Nick slumped down in his seat beside Miley. "Can we please not fight again? We just made up. I don't want to fight with you anymore." He reached out and touched her hand. "We were so happy before Selena came over."

Miley bit her lip and looked at him. "What did she say to you?" He didn't answer. "Tell me. I saw you two. She looked so happy, and then you just pushed her away and walked off. Tell me what happened between you two up there." He still didn't answer. "Nick, I'm your girlfriend now. If you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

Nick paused. "She thinks I want to get back together."

Miley stayed silent for a moment. Then, something unexpected happened. Miley burst into fits of laughter at the table, clutching the chair for stability, her cheeks red, her laugh so hysterical that her eyes were teary. When she calmed down, she looked at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were kidding."

"This isn't a joke."

Miley reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry." She smiled. "Look, I wouldn't worry about it. Clearly her whole 'my medication helped' thing is all an act. Let's just move on from her. Once the divorce is over, we can just forget about all the drama that's happened." Miley rose to her feet. "In fact, I had a surprise planned for you for today." She backed away, grinning at him. Nick went to stand up, but she held up her hand and signalled him to stop. "Come and find me in the house in about five minutes." Miley then turned and walked away, out of sight.

Joe flopped down beside Nick, pulling Demi down on top of him. "Where did Miley go?" he asked.

"Bathroom," Nick lied.

Demi raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. She smiled. "Are you having a good time?" She leaned in closer. "I'm sorry if Selena being here has caused you any hassle. I just thought it would be good for her to come and reconnect with some her friends here in California, you know? I feel bad about the way everybody pretty much blanked her when you two split up and she went to live with her mom."

"No hassle," Nick said.

Joe looked at his brother, suspicious. "What's eating you?" he asked.

"Nothing," Nick replied. He stood up and smiled. "Great party, guys, but I need to head out to my car. I left my phone out there and I'm expecting a call." It wasn't exactly a lie. He was hoping Carson Davidson would call soon. He just wasn't going to his car. He was going to Miley.

Nick left Demi and Joe at the table and walked into the house. He passed through the kitchen, through the main hall, up the stairs and down the hallway towards Demi's old bedroom. As he reached the end of the hall, he stopped and frowned. Where the hell was Miley? As he walked back down the hall, he heard a door open. Suddenly, a hand reached out from beside him and pulled him into a room.

"Miley?" he hissed.

"Who else would it be?" she hissed back, closing the door. She quickly locked it behind her and pushed him against it. "Ready for your surprise?" she asked.

Nick smiled back and put his hands on her hips, pulling her body close to his. "That depends. What's my surprise?" he asked.

Miley bit her lip and trailed her finger down his chest. She stopped just above the top of his dress pants and smirked. "Well, I had a really good dream last night. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to make it reality."

"What was the dream?"

She leaned up and moved closer to his ear. "Have you ever heard of slutty wedding sex?" she whispered.

Nick gulped. He was being pressed against a door in his brother's in law's house with his girlfriend standing in front of him, offering to have sex with him. Who was he to refuse? "You want to have sex in Demi's parents' bathroom?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"I don't care where it is," she whispered, smirking up at him. "Besides. Haven't you heard that the best man _always _hooks up with one of the bridesmaids?"

Nick looked at her. She looked so damn beautiful. Her hair was tousled from her constantly running her fingers through it. She had slipped her heels off, knocking about two or three inches off her height. She was biting her lip, waiting for him to accept her offer. Her eye make-up was dark and sexy, bringing out her crystal blue eyes. He quickly estimated in his head how long it would take him to get her out of her dress. He guess he could do it in less than ten seconds, judging by how much he wanted her right then.

"Slutty wedding sex it is," he mumbled.

* * *

Nick stepped out of the bathroom and straightened his jacket slightly. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tidy it slightly. He definitely didn't want all of Demi and Joe's guests to assume that the best man had just had wild sex in a bathroom with the bride's best friend. Even if they were dating and everyone knew that _something_ of a sexual nature was bound to happen between the two at some point during the reception, he saw no need in every guest whispering about what he got up to with his girlfriend behind a locked bathroom door.

Nick then walked down the hall and downstairs. He walked back down to the reception and walked straight over to Demi and Joe, who were chatting to Joe's work colleagues at the head table. Demi looked up and smiled at her brother in law. Joe, however, laughed loudly. His colleagues furrowed their eyebrows, confused, and walked away.

"You okay there, Joe?" Nick asked.

Joe coughed and took a deep breath in order to calm down. He smirked cheekily up at his brother. "Where's Miley, Nick?"

_Crap_. He had no idea what he was supposed to say. "Uh, she's over there somewhere." He pointed over his shoulder, hoping and praying that he was pointing at a crowd that could possibly hold his girlfriend.

"Nick ... That's my grandma."

"Oh, right. Well, uh -" Nick was interrupted by the band's manager coming over and whispering something in Joe's ear before scuttling off, back to the side of the stage constructed for the band to perform on.

"We'll finish this later," Joe said. He then rose to his feet with Demi and went to the stage. "Excuse me, everybody, but Demi and I would like to say a few words." He waited patiently for everyone to become silent before continuing with his speech. "I want to thank you all so much for being here and being a part of our wedding. It means the world to us, it really does." He looked down at their parents. "We would particularly like to thank our parents for all the work that they put into the wedding. Demi's father and step-mother were kind enough to allow us to hold it in their garden."

Demi stepped forward. "And Joe's parents helped the organisation of the wedding in every way possible. We really appreciate all that you've done to help us." She smiled down at Nick. "We'd also like to thank Joe's best man, his brother Nick. Nick, you had so many of your own problems to worry about, but you still managed to help us prepare everything, right down to the smallest detail. You took care of the bachelor party and made sure that Joe got him safe, so I appreciate that. Thank you so much for caring enough to help us and make an effort to make this day a special day. We love you."

"I also would like to say that I know that Demi's mom would be so proud of her if she could see her today," Joe said. "I know that Dem really wishes she could be here, and that she misses her a lot. Dem, your mom was a great woman and she loved you so much. She would be so proud of you today." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close into a hug. "Demi and her father are now going to have their father-daughter dance."

The couple then walked off the stage. Demi's father met her at the bottom of the steps down and took her hand. He led her out onto the dancefloor. 'When The Stars Go Blue' began to play as Demi's father started to dance with her. Demi looked so happy, and her father looked so proud of her.

Joe appeared at Nick's side and smiled over at his wife. "I really love her, man."

"I know you do, Joe." Nick smiled at his brother. "She loves you too. You really do mean so much to her. She meant every word she said during the ceremony." He looked down slightly and closed his eyes. "Never hurt her." He looked up. "Most of all ... never do to her what I did to Selena. It will break her more than you could ever imagine."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Miley came up to the boys and smiled. "Hey." She touched Joe's arm. "What you said about Demi's mom was really sweet, Joe," she said.

Joe smirked. "From what I take, what you and my brother did wasn't too sweet."

Miley whipped around to face Nick. "YOU TOLD HIM?" she yelled.

Joe began to laugh and put an arm over Miley's shoulder. "Nah, he didn't. You did." He laughed again. "Don't worry about it. Nothing that Demi and I haven't done at a wedding before." He smirked at Miley. "Was it good?"

Miley smacked his chest and shoved him away. "Get out of here!" she said, smiling.

Joe laughed and walked over to his mother in preparation for their mother and son dance that was to take place once Demi and her father left the dancefloor. Nick and Miley watched the love in his mother's eyes as she looked at her son.

"That could be you some day."

"That _will_ be me some day."

Nick smiled and looked down at her. "You sound certain."

Miley smiled back and turned her attention to Demi and her father dancing. "That's because I am." She looked back at Nick. "I don't care what happens, Nick. I've dreamed of being a mother my whole life. No matter what, I will have kids some day, whether I have to adopt or whatever I have to. I will be a mother if it's the last thing I do."

Nick nodded and wrapped an arm around her. He smirked down at that. "I think I can make that happen."

* * *

"COME ON, LADIES! THE BRIDE'S ABOUT TO THROW HER BOUQUET!"

All the women that were still at the party and were not married gathered near the stage. Demi was standing in front of the stage, facing them all, a wide grin on her face as she held her bouquet of white roses. She fiddled slightly with the gold satin ribbon that held the flowers together.

Demi turned her back. "EVERYBODY READY?" she yelled over her shoulder. She was answered with cries of 'YES' and 'GO'. "Okay. 1! 2! 3!" Demi tossed the bouquet over her shoulder and into the crowd of unmarried women.

As if in slow motion, the bouquet swirled through the air and into the crowd of screaming women. There was a yell of victory and the woman who had caught the bouquet made her way to the front. It was Miley.

Nick chuckled as he leaned against the stage beside Joe.

Demi turned to Nick and winked. "That's your cue to go out and buy her a ring, Nicholas."

"I'm not even divorced yet!"

Demi shrugged. "Better put a ring on it before another guy comes and sweeps her off her feet." Demi grinned and turned to Miley. "OH MY GOSH, YOU SHOULD TOTALLY HOOK UP WITH PRINCE HARRY."

"Boyfriend standing right here!" Nick called.

Demi turned around and narrowed her eyes. "If you aren't going to put a ring on the girl's finger, Prince Harry might as well."

Joe took Demi's hand and started to lead her into the house. "Come on. We leave in about ten minutes. We better go and get changed." He then pulled her into her dad's house and up to her bedroom.

Nick took a step towards Miley and smirked. "So, my girl caught the bouquet, huh?"

Miley smirked. "Take it as a hint," she joked.

Nick paused and squeezed her hand. "I kind of need to talk to you about something," he said softly. He pulled her behind the top table and sat down beside her. "Mi, I love you. I would gladly marry you. You know that, don't you?" He sighed. "I would propose to you any day of the week. It's just ... Selena and I moved faster than I had ever gone with anybody. Our relationship means a lot to me. I don't want us to end up how Selena and I did, right?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

Nick sighed and kissed her forehead. "I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I love you, whether we're engaged or not." He took her hand and pulled her up. "Come on. We better go out and get ready to say goodbye to Demi and Joe."

They made their way to the front of the house with the rest of the party. They gathered around the door, leaving a passage through the crowd for Demi and Joe to make their way to the waiting car that would take them to the airport.

Joe and Demi walked out the door, changed out of their outfits from the wedding itself. The party started to cheer and throw confetti as Demi and Joe laughed and smiled, making their way through the crowd of people. They stopped to hug and shake hands with people, thanking them for coming. They soon reached the end where Nick and Miley were standing. Demi jumped at Miley, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Have an amazing time," Miley whispered back. "I love you." She pulled back and smiled, her eyes filled with proud tears for her best friend. "Look after her," she said softly to Joe. She hugged Demi once more.

"I'll call you when we get home," Demi said. She and Joe then turned and walked towards the car. They waved at the party of guests as the car drove out the gates and down the street, soon out of sight of all the wedding guests.

Many guests began to make their way towards their cars to go home, no longer seeing the point in staying if the bride and groom were gone. A few family members and close friends went back inside the house to chat to some more people, closing the door behind them. Nick and Miley began to walk over to Nick's car.

Nick took out his keys and unlocked the car. He opened Miley's door for her. "That will be us some day," he said as he walked around to the driver's side of the car.

"You sound certain."

He grinned. "I am." He got into the car and put his keys in the ignition. Instead of beginning to drive, he just sat there for a moment. He turned to face her. "It was weird today. Seeing Selena." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the seat. "Do you ever regret doing what we did? I mean, do you ever regret us getting together?"

Miley hesitated. "There are times when I do regret some elements of it ... I would never in the world change the fact that we ended up together. But if I could change things, I would definitely change the way it happened." She took Nick's hand and squeezed it. "Seeing her reminded me of what we did to her. If I could take all of the hurt I caused her back, I would do it a million times over."

"Selena's a forgiving woman."

"Even if she wasn't, I wouldn't blame her."

Nick nodded. He didn't say anything. After a moment, he turned the key and put his hand on the steering wheel. "Let's head home." He reversed out of his parking spot and drove to the gates of the house. "Have you got everything?"

Miley nodded. Nick pulled out of the gates and drove down the street.

"Where are you going? You were supposed to turn left."

Nick smiled slightly. "Demi said you were thinking of selling your place."

"She wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"She thought I should know." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Don't. You love your house. Keep it."

"Why should I? We've moved into your place now, and my house is completely destroyed after the earthquake. There's no reason to keep it. I want to fix it up a bit and then maybe put it up for sale."

He paused. "What would make you keep it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess if it was suddenly my dream house, I would think of moving back in. If the furniture was exactly how I imagined my house as a kid, I guess I would consider it." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she watched him. "Why? What have you done?"

Nick turned to face her slightly and smiled. "I have a surprise for you." Soon, he pulled into Miley's old street. He pulled into her driveway and got out. "Are you coming in or not?" he asked. He slammed his door and headed up to the front door, waiting patiently for her on the porch.

Miley got out and walked up to the porch, holding her dress up slightly so as not to step on it. She stopped in front of her door. "Nick, what have you done?"

Nick said nothing. He opened the door of her house and stepped inside. She took a step in after him. Her jaw physically dropped as she looked around the hallway. It was as if the earthquake never happened. The walls had been repainted, and the room was completely refurnished. A new wooden floor had been put down, as well as new doors up and down the hall.

Miley turned to face him with tears in her eyes. "Did you do this?"

Nick scratched the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Joe and I have been working on it for a while. We felt bad that your house had been damaged so badly. We redecorated the house completely for you. It was finished a few days ago." He took her hand. "And don't worry about the money. You don't have to pay us back for it or anything. We were happy to pay." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "We just wanted you to be happy. We'll understand if you still want to sell it."

Miley shook her head. "I can't believe you did this ..." she whispered. She looked up at him. "No way in hell would I want to sell this place now." She took a step into the living room, which had been painted a light brown colour, with old wooden furniture and a brown leather sofa. A new television was in the corner, just where her previous one had been. Miley turned to look at Nick once more. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me."

She hugged him. "Move in."

He chuckled. "Steady on there. You should probably move in yourself before you ask me to move in."

She shook her head. "I'm serious. I want you to move in." She giggled. "Besides, I'm so used to living with you that I don't think I could live without you. And it will be my way of paying you and Joe back for redoing the entire house."

Nick kissed her forehead. "I love you, Mi."

She smiled. "I love you too, Nick. Forever and always."

"Forever and always."

**THERE IT IS. THE END. I know, the ending was horrible, but whatever. I didn't know how else to end it. I hope you all enjoyed it. I was amazed at the amount of reviews that this story got. Almost 200 now! That is unreal. I never imagined that I'd get the support that I got from this story! You all were so amazing with your reviews, especially those who reviewed every single chapter. That meant so so much to me. I love you all so much for the support and the kind words you have given me. Some of you have even said that this is one of your favourite stories, which literally meant so much to me. Thank you all so much.**

**Thank you to MH, skatergurl2789, chem (I think that I will do an epilogue, because I don't think there will be a sequel. Hopefully the epilogue will be up next weekend, or maybe even THIS weekend!), FirePrincess251, mh, spwarkle (AH, what are you taking on?), LaLaLax6, lovetowrite07, nykrus180, TheMsBrandy1 and JuuhByMiley for your reviews on Chapter 19. They were much appreciated. And thank you to those of you who have reviewed every single chapter. That really made me feel great. I really appreciated all your love and support.**

**Hopefully the epilogue will be up by next weekend, but it might be a little after that. Then I will begin to write my new story, 'Don't Count On Me'. PLEASE REVIEW, EVERYBODY. It would mean a lot :) LET'S HIT 200, PEOPLE! I hope you all enjoyed the final chapter, apart from the epilogue, and thanks again for all your reviews during the time I've worked on this. I really appreciated it.**


	21. Epilogue

**_Epilogue._**

The fabric beneath her fingers felt fragile as she ran her fingers down her torso and onto the skirt of the dress she was wearing. She stared at herself in the mirror, happy at the sight. She thought that she would never see the day that she would be wearing a wedding dress and marrying the man she loved.

"You look beautiful, Miles."

Miley turned around and smiled. Demi was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and her hands resting gracefully on her knees. She was smiling up at Miley, her eyes filled with pride and happiness.

Demi was Miley's maid of honour. Her knee-length strapless lilac bridesmaid's dress fitted her perfectly. Having a baby had probably made Demi's body look even better, improving her curves. The small bouquet of lilac and white roses was lying on the bed beside Demi, tied together perfectly by a white satin ribbon.

"You really think so?"

Demi rose to her feet. She walked over to Miley and wrapped her arms tightly around her, pulling her into a loving hug.

"I really do." Demi stepped back and smiled. She picked Miley's veil up from the bed and handed it to Miley. "You better put this on. We have to get in the car in about ten minutes so we can be at the church in time." She sat Miley down at the dresser and smiled at her in the mirror. "Are you excited?"

Miley grinned and bit her lip. "I've never been more excited in my life, to be honest."

The smile never left Demi's face as she put on Miley's veil without ruining the perfect curls she had done with the curling iron just half an hour previously.

"Trust me, if Joe's word is anything to go by, Nick can't sit still, he's that excited," she said. "Miley? I hope you know that he loves you. More than he's ever loved anything." She hesitated. "I know that you and Nick have had some doubts about your relationship in the past, but this is the most important relationship he's ever been in, and I mean that. You are the best thing he has in his life. Don't let him go."

Miley sat in silence, staring at the reflection in the mirror as she thought of the dreadful December only two years previously. They had decided to go on a break from each other, officially breaking up two weeks later on Christmas Eve. They had thought that they weren't ready for a real relationship. They were worried that they'd jumped into it too quickly after the breakdown of his marriage. They thought that there was a chance that it would as badly as his relationship with Selena had. When he had moved on and gotten a new girlfriend, she had spent a week holed up at her house, devastated, crying for hours on end, wishing she could take back all that she had said to him. They finally got back together when he found out that she had a new boyfriend. They both ended their new relationships and got back together. Six months later, Nick proposed.

"I've let him go once. I won't do it again."

There was a knock at Miley's bedroom door. Both Miley and Demi turned to face the door. It swung open, revealing Joe, holding a baby in his arms. He stepped towards the girls and smiled.

"Somebody wants their mom." He turned to face Miley and kissed her forehead. "Miley, you look beautiful. Nick is going to drop dead when he sees you." He glanced at his watch. "Speaking of Nick, I better head to the church." He turned to Demi and nodded at the baby in his arms, passing him to his wife. "My mom will take Jack when you get to the church. Just text me when you're close and I'll send her out to get him." He kissed Demi's cheek quickly and rushed out of the room.

"Joe, wait!"

Joe popped his head round the door and smiled. "Yes, Miley?"

Miley smiled and bit her lip. "How's Nick?" she asked.

Joe leaned against the door frame and smirked. "Well, he just got out of bed with Candy, the stripper we hired last night." He laughed at the look of shock and disgust on Miley's face. "I'm kidding!" His smile softened. "He's the happiest man on the planet right now. He can't wait to see you later." Joe stepped back. "I better go!" They heard him rush down the hallway and out the front door, slamming the door behind him.

"Miley, we have to go!"

Miley's dad came into the room. He stopped at the door, staring at his daughter. Miley rose to her feet and took a step towards her father. He reached out and took her hand.

"You look amazing, baby girl," he whispered.

Miley blushed. "Thanks, Daddy." She turned to face Demi. "Are we ready?" she asked, reaching out for her bouquet. Demi handed it to her quickly. Miley checked her make-up briefly in the mirror before turning back to her dad. "Let's get going," she said with a smile.

* * *

"And she's definitely coming?"

"I just saw her in her wedding dress, Nicholas. Of course she's coming. She wouldn't miss this for the world." Joe smirked at his brother's panicked tone. "Besides, she asked about you. Women who are about to ditch their fiancées at the altar don't ask about them. Look, don't sweat it. She'll be here."

Nick turned to face Joe. "She asked about me?"

Joe nodded slightly. "I went to go and leave Jack with Demi and saw Miley." He smiled at his brother and patted his shoulder. "You're going to die when you see her, kid. She looks stunning." He smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"Have you got the rings?"

"Yup."

"Let me see."

"They're right in my pocket."

"This is my wedding day, Joseph. Everything has to go perfectly. Let me see the damn rings, for God's sake," Nick hissed.

Joe sighed and reached into his tux. His eyes widened slightly with horror as realisation hit him. _He had lost the rings_.

"Well?" Nick asked as he shook the hand of another arriving guest. He glanced at his brother. "We have to go inside in a minute and get ready. Where are the rings?"

"I, uh, I left them in the car. Be right back." Joe turned on his heel and dashed towards his car, fumbling for his BlackBerry in his pocket as he ran. He quickly unlocked his car and dived in, speed-dialling Demi as he did so.

"Hello?" Demi said on the other line.

"Dem! Do me a huge favour. Did I leave the rings on Miley's hall table?" he asked, panicked. He knew that Nick would absolutely murder him if he ruined anything for his wedding to Miley, the most important day of his life.

Demi giggled. "Joe, you gave them to me last night. They're in my purse. I'll give you them once I get there. We're on our way now. I'll see you in about ten minutes."

Joe heard the dial tone as Demi hung up. He took a deep breath, sending two quick texts – one to Nick to tell him to go on inside the church and that he'd be in soon, and one to his mom to tell her to come out and get Jack quickly before the wedding started. Joe them jumped out of the car and waited at the gate for Demi and Miley.

When the car pulled up outside the gates, Joe's heartbeat calmed down a bit, relieved that the rings were definitely at the church. He helped Demi out of the car and held the door open as Miley's father helped the bride out.

Miley stood up tall and closed the door of the car. She looked up at the church and smiled. She turned to Joe. "Is he in there?" she asked as Demi adjusted and fiddled with the dress in order to make it sit correctly.

Joe nodded. "He should be at the altar now." Joe took Jack from Demi and handed him to his mom. "Thanks, Mom," he called as his mom headed into the church. "Look, I better head up to the church. I'll see you guys in there." He quickly kissed Miley's cheek. "Good luck, Miles." Joe then jogged up to the church doors, the ring box clutched tightly in his hand.

Miley's dad looked at his daughter and smiled. "You ready, angel?" he asked.

Miley nodded. She and her dad linked arms as Demi led them up to the church where Miley's other bridesmaids, her sister Brandi and her friend Lilly, were waiting patiently. The three bridesmaids made their way into the church and processed down the aisle as the music began.

Miley and her father stood at the door, waiting for their cue. Then it was their turn. Slowly, they began to walk down the aisle together, smiling at the guests that stared and smiled at her, in awe by how amazing she looked on her wedding day.

Miley kept her eyes focused on Nick's head. He didn't turn. Instead, he faced the altar. Miley watched as Joe nudged his little brother. Nick turned his head slightly before turning around to face Miley. She watched his mouth form into a smile when he saw her. His eyes lit up.

When they reached the altar, Miley and her dad stopped. He squeezed her hand tightly before turning and taking his seat in the front row. Nick took Miley's hand and led her up to the minister.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

Miley turned to look at him and smiled. As she looked at him, it hit her like a ton of bricks. This was the man that she was supposed to be with. She wouldn't go back and say no to his proposal if she had the choice. She was supposed to be there at that very moment, standing at the altar with that same man that she fell in love with. It was their day. It was their time. It was their future.

**_The End._**

**Well, that's it over, then. I have to admit, I'm kind of sad. BUT, soon enough, the first chapter of my new story will be up! Are you excited? Because I AM! Thank you everyone for all your support throughout YWFAT. It meant the world to be that so many people actually enjoyed my writing. Thank you all so much x**


	22. Author's Note

**HEY DUDES. What's crack-a-lackin'? I'm a bit hyper, because today was the first day of my summer break! And you know what that means, right? I have more time to write my stories!**

**Now, I don't know if you guys knew, but before my school exams began, I started that new gang story I was talking about. It's called **_Don't Count on Me_**. I've already posted two chapters. I forgot to let all of you know when I posted it. I meant to post an author's note ages ago, but I completely blanked.**

**Anyway, unfortunately not too many people have checked it out so far. I understand that, yeah, the first couple of chapters are completely boring, but I was wondering if all of you could do me a favour. Could you guys please head over to **_Don't Count on Me_ **and check it out? That would mean SO much to me. I would really be so grateful to you all. I mean, it's okay if you already read it and hated it, but if you haven't, please check it out :)**

**Thanks everyone! Hope you enjoy it x**


	23. New story: Crazy Little Dancer Girl

I have just published a new story after completing 'Don't Count on Me'. It's called Crazy Little Dancer Girl and is about Nick, a famous singer-songwriter, who is about to embark on a world tour with a number of dancers, including Miley.

Please do me a huge favour and check it out. Check out the first chapter and leave me a review. Your support on this new story would mean the world to me. Thank you so much, everybody x


End file.
